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Rev. Iyoais ^emminger. 




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UNITED STATES OE AMERICA. 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



ADDRESSES 

IN HONOR OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, 
DELIVERED AT 1NGOLSTADT, MAY, 1858, 

— BY — 

LOUIS GEMMINGER, 

Then Pastor of St. Peter's Church, Munich. 

Translated from the Fourth German Edition, 

— BY — 

A. BENEDICTINE SISTER. 



With the Approbation of the Bishop. 




Y 6 - " fit 
'"APR 30 189' 



BALTIMORE: 
JOHN MURPHY & CO. 
1894. 





Copyrighted, 1894, by the Benedictine Sisters, 
St. Mary's, Elk Co., Pa. 



Tab Library 

GB? ONfGftKSS 



IMPRIMATUR: 
April 16, 1894. 



J. CARD. GIBBONS, 

Archbishop of Baltimore. 



IMPRIMATUR: 

T. MULLEN, 

Bishop of Erie. 



St. Mary's, Elk Co., Pa., November 20, 1893. 

" Flowers of Mary," is a translation of the 4th edition of L. 
Gemminger's May Devotions, " Marienblumen." 

I have compared the translation with the German original, 
from beginning to end, and found it to be a faithful translation. 
As far as I can see, they contain nothing objectionable. 

P. Remigius, M. O. S. B. 



St. Mary's, February 17, 1894. 

Having read, with more than ordinary care, " The Flowers 
of Mary," translated from the German of Ludwig Gemminger, 
I do not hesitate to pronounce it a pious and edifying work, 
suitable for public reading at May Devotions. 

P. Innocent Andklfinger, 0. S. B. 



DEDICATION. 



Sweet Heavenly Maid, these gifts I bring 

An offering from our bowers, 
Oh, may they by their beauty sing 

Thy praise, sweet Queen of flowers ! 

'Tis love that called them forth from earth, 
The greeting of true loyal hearts ; 

May they be sweet in scent and worth, 
We've gathered them from many parts. 

Oh, may they bloom with faith and love 
When storms and tempests rise ; 

Like Olive-branch of Noah's dove, 
The Herald prove of sunny skies. 

And may this wreath bind hearts to thee 

In love and faith each day ; 
Thy servants then shall glory see, 

When earth has passed away. 

I lay this garland humbly down 

Before thy throne above, 
Sweet Mother, deign my work to crown, 

I crave it of thy love. 

5 



PREFACE OF THE TRANSLATOR. 



A few years ago when the German edition of this 
little book first made its appearance in public, it pro- 
duced a deep impression upon its readers. For more 
than a year, the thought constantly recurred to me, 
how much good might result in honor of the exalted 
Queen of Heaven if it were published in the English 
language; more especially as the addresses are con- 
vincing and simple ; while the language graceful and 
animated, speaks eloquently to the pious heart. 
Therefore I thought the book to be one of devotion for 
those people who speak the English language. That it 
may become properly such, I added to the addresses the 
Litany of Loretto, together with some other prayers 
suitable for the beautiful month of May. 

O holiest, sweetest Advocate, great Queen of Heaven ! 
deep as the ocean in suffering, exalted and incompre- 
hensible in joy, " Deep calleth on deep," "Abyssus 
abyssum invocat," Ps. 41, at thy feet I lay this little 
book in silent homage ; do with it what pleaseth thee. 
Every sinner is permitted humbly to approach thee. 
Thou wilt then surely not despise the poorest of thy 
children with her little gift. Dear book, go forth now 
into the world, knock at the door of all hearts, and by 
thy sweet influence may the "Ave Maria" often be 

7 



8 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



heard arising in gentle accents from the hearts of the 
rich and the poor. May the image of our beloved Lady 
and Queen ever shine forth in the hearts of all, and 
with the divine image of Jesus Crucified, be the chief 
ornaments of their homes. 

O dearest of all Mothers, O mystical Rose ! grant 
that in our poor hearts the roses of holy love may not 
only bud, but develop into beautiful flowers of virtue. 
Thou Flower of Sharon, and Lily amongst thorns! 
refresh the arid hearts of thy children and after this 
our exile is ended, show unto us Jesus thy Divine Son. 

St. Joseph's Convent, 

St. Mary's, Elk Co., Pa. 

Feast of St. Gertrude, A. D. 1893. 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 

The May-Bell, 17 

The Sunflower, 21 

The Ivy, --------- 24 

The Burning-Love, 27 

The Lily, 31 

The Rosemary, 35 

The Tulip, 40 

The Mignonette, 46 

The Passion-Flower, 52 

The Balsomine, 58 

The Corn-Flower, 65 

The Orange-Lily, 71 

The Evergreen, 79 

The Pink, - 85 

The Eed Eose, 90 

The Larkspur, 96 

The Alpine Eose, 102 

The Aster, - - - 110 

The Myrtle, - - 117 

The Crown-Imperial, 121 

The Moss, - - - 128 

The Marigold, 133 

The Yellow Eose, 137 

The Narcissus, 143 

The Sweet Violet, 148 

The Sweet Flag, 153 

The Geranium, 159 

The Everlasting (Immortelle), - 165 

The White Eose, - - 170 

The Honeysuckle, 177 

The Forget-me-not, 183 

9 



PRAYERS. 



Prayer. 

O Most blessed Virgin Mary ! we are here as- 
sembled before thy altar, to show thee our love and 
veneration. We rejoice at the great dignity and 
glory which the Almighty has bestowed upon thee. 
We honor and praise the Lord ! because He has 
given thee to us as our mother ! because He has 
adorned thy most pure and holy heart with the 
most perfect love. To thee, O holy Virgin ! we 
dedicate this month, and especially this day. To 
thee we consecrate our bodies, our hearts and our 
souls. In thy hands we place all our hopes and 
consolations; all our trials and afflictions. To thee 
we recommend our whole life and especially its end ! 
Show that thou art our mother. We also recommend 
to thee the whole Catholic Church, and especially 
our holy Father, Pope Leo, all bishops, priests and 
religious, our relations and benefactors, our friends 
and enemies, also the suffering Souls in Purgatory. 
May thy loving heart find joy in our songs of praise, 
and in our prayers. We unite them both with the 
praises and petitions offered to thee by all pious 
Christians during this month, and with the canticles 

11 



12 



FLO WEBS OF MARY. 



which the angels and saints of heaven offer to thee, 
their most amiable Queen. Obtain for us the 
greatest of all graces, that we may faithfully serve 
thee and thy Son to the end of our lives, and that 
we may then enjoy the inexpressible happiness of 
loving and thanking thee, with all the angels and 
saints in heaven ! and that in union with thee we 
may love and adore Jesus, thy Son, and the most 
Blessed Trinity forever. Amen. 

Litany of the Blessed Virgin. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, have mercy on us. 

Christ, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, hear us. 

Christ, graciously hear us. 

God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us. 

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. 

God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us. 

Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. 

Holy Mary, ^ 



Holy Mother of God, 
Holy Virgin of Virgins, 
Mother of Christ, 
Mother of divine grace, 




Mother most pure, 
Mother most chaste, 



PRAYERS. 



Mother inviolate, 
Mother undefiled, 
Mother most amiable, 
Mother most admirable, 
Mother of our Creator, 
Mother of our Saviour, 
Virgin most prudent, 
Virgin most venerable, 
Virgin most renowned, 
Virgin most powerful, 
Virgin most merciful, 
Virgin most faithful, 
Mirror of justice, 
Seat of wisdom, 
Cause of our joy, 
Spiritual Vessel, 
Vessel of honor, 
Singular Vessel of devotion, 
Mystical Rose, 
Tower of David, 
Tower of ivory, 
House of Gold, 
Ark of the covenant, 
Gate of Heaven, 
Morning star, 
Health of the sick, 
Refuge of sinners, 
Comforter of the afflicted, 
Help of Christians, 
Queen of Angels, 



14 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



Queen of Patriarch s, 
Queen of Prophets, 
Queen of Apostles, 
Queen of Martyrs, 
Queen of Confessors, 




Queen of Virgins, ^ 
Queen of all Saints, * 
Queen conceived without original sin, 
Queen of the most holy Rosary, J 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

spare us, Lord. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

graciously hear us, Lord. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

have mercy on us. 
Christ hear us, Christ graciously hear us. 

Ant. We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of 
God, despise not our petitions in our necessities ; but 
deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and 
blessed Virgin. 

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. 

jR. That we may be made worthy of the promises 



Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace 
into our hearts ; that we, to whom the Incarnation of 
Christ Thy Son, was made known by the message 
of an Angel, may, by His Passion and Cross, be 
brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through 
the same Christ our Lord. Amen. 



of Christ. 



Let us pray. 



PRAYERS. 



15 



V. Pray for us, O holy St. Joseph. 
It. That we may be made worthy of the promises 
of Christ. 

Let us pray. 

Assist us, O Lord, we beseech Thee, by the merits 
of the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, that what 
of ourselves we are unable to obtain, may be granted 
to us by His intercession, who livest and reignest, 
world without end. Amen. 

Memorare. 

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary ! that 
never was it known that any one who fled to thy 
protection, implored thy help, and sought thy 
intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this 
confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of Virgins, 
my mother ! To thee I come ; before thee I stand, 
sinful and sorrowful. O mother of the Word incar- 
nate ! despise* not my petitions, but, in thy mercy, 
hear and answer me. Amen. 

Salve Regxna. 

Hail Holy Queen ! Mother of Mercy : our life, 
our sweetness and our hope ! to thee do we cry, poor 
banished children of Eve ; to thee we sigh, mourning 
and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, O 
gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy upon us ; 
and after this, our exile, is ended, show unto us the 
blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O 
loving, O sweet Virgin Mary ! 



16 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. 
JR. That we may be made worthy of the promises 
of Christ. 

Prayer to St. Joseph. 

To thee, O blessed Joseph, we have recourse in 
our affliction, and, having implored the help of thy 
thrice holy Spouse, we now with hearts filled with 
confidence earnestly beg thee also to take us under 
thy protection. By that charity, wherewith thou 
wert united to the Immaculate Virgin, Mother of 
God, and by that fatherly love, with which thou 
didst cherish the Child Jesus, we beseech thee and 
we humbly pray, that thou wilt look down with 
gracious eye upon that inheritance which Jesus Christ 
purchased by His blood, and wilt succor us in our 
need by thy power and strength. 

Defend, O most watchful guardian of the Holy 
Family, the chosen offspring of Jesus Christ. Keep 
from us, O most loving Father, all blight of error 
and corruption. Aid us from on high, most valiant 
defender, in this conflict with the powers of darkness. 
And even as of old thou didst rescue the Child Jesus 
from the peril of His life, so now defend God's Holy 
Church from the snares of the enemy and from all 
adversity. Shield us ever under thy patronage, that, 
imitating thy example and strengthened by thy help, 
we may live a holy life, die a happy death and attain 
everlasting bliss in heaven. Amen. 

Pope Leo XIII. 

(Indulgence of 7 years and 7 Quarantines.) 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



First Day. 



o 




duty seems to be that of calling the other flowers 
out of the earth and proclaiming to the world the 
departure of winter. Each stock of the May-bell 
bears large leaves and a number of snow-white bells, 
which are very fragrant as well as beautiful. 

There is no flower more appropriate for the first 
day of May, because it is the symbol of devotion 
reawakened ; the type of love reanimated. The 
month of May is especially consecrated to the honor 
and love of Mary; although as St. Bernard says, 
"our whole lives should belong to the Mother of 
God," yet in this most beautiful month of the year, 
our devotion should be more lively and our love 
more ardent. 

Therefore, we should, to-day, commence to say with 
the priest at the altar, " Sursum Corda," " Heaven- 



2 



17 



18 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



wards the hearts," and this call we should repeat 
frequently every day of this month, in order to raise 
our eyes to Jesus, sitting in the lap of His Mother ; 
to turn our hearts, with all their love to Mary, who, 
during this month in particular, confers and dis- 
tributes graces. Let us often salute her with the 
angelic words, Hail full of grace, for when her exiled 
children repeat this salutation, is it possible that the 
Blessed Virgin will leave it unrewarded ? No, she 
will thank us for it, and " Mary's thanks are graces," 
so says St. Epiphanius. Yea, the more frequently 
we salute her, the more will this month be for us a 
true spring month in which the most beautiful flowers 
of virtue will bloom in our hearts. 

The May-bell rings; thus also does the Church 
exhort the faithful, to show special love and devotion 
to Mary, during the month of May. The pious 
practice of devoting the month of May to the Blessed 
Virgin was commenced at Rome, about the close of 
the last century. Since that time May devotions 
have spread throughout the whole Catholic world ; 
especially since Pope Pius VII, on the 21st of March, 
1815, enriched them with the following indulgences : 
All the faithful during this month, who alone or in 
company with others, perform a work of piety in 
honor of the divine Mother, may gain every day an 
indulgence of three hundred days, and a plenary 
indulgence once in this month on the day when being 
truly penitent, after confession and communion, they 
shall pray for the intention of his Holiness. These 



THE MAY-BELT,. 



19 



indulgences may be applied to the relief of the souls 
in Purgatory. Will we respond to this call of the 
Church ? The May -bell calls on us to imitate the 
example of those who honor Mary during this month, 
by offering her not only material flowers, but the 
choicest flowers of devotion. Thousands are now 
kneeling in family circles around images and altars 
adorned with flowers, honoring with prayers of love 
the Mother of God. Thousands vie with each other 
in decorating her altars and go daily in large numbers 
to the churches consecrated to her. In Spain, France, 
Italy and Germany, the faithful are united in honor- 
ing their Mother. Yes, even beyond the seas in 
those lands, where a few short years ago, the name 
of Mary was not known, and where the natives lived 
on the flesh of their conquered enemies ; even there 
we now T hear the praises of Mary mingling with the 
songs of the sea-waves as they wash the shore. — 
Will we be deaf to the call of so many examples ? 

The May-bell rings and our own hearts invite us 
to celebrate the May Devotions. " My heart," says 
St. Catherine of Genoa, " is cursed earth, that bears 
only thorns and thistles." We must all say the same 
when we consider our tepidity, our spiritual weak- 
ness, or our frequently broken resolutions. But who 
can take away this curse ? Who other than she who 
crushed the serpent's head, she whom all generations 
call blessed, Mary ! Let us, therefore, never forget 
the words of St. Alphonsus, " If you wish to become 
perfect and strengthened in good, go to Mary." 



20 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



Will our poor hearts then, neglect to respond to this 
call ? No, even though no reward was promised we 
willingly, through love alone consecrate to thee, O 
blessed Virgin, these days of special love and honor. 
By thy powerful intercession make our hearts white 
and pure as the May-bell ! Rouse us from the 
slumber of tepidity to a fresh glowing love towards 
thee. Help us that we may rouse others, through 
our example and prayers, out of the night of their 
sins to a better life. Grant that we may say in truth 
with the Spouse in the Canticles : " The winter is 
now past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers 
have appeared in our land," 1 the spring-time of thy 
love and the flowers of all virtues. 

The sweet May-bell in woody dell 

Is found in early spring ; 
This flowret fair with tender care 

To Mary's shrine we bring. 

These bells of May, accept we pray 

O Queen and Virgin dear ! 
And may they prove to you the love 

We bring you, is sincere. 

O may each heart, with purest art, 

As first poor bells of May ; 
By good deeds done lead others on 

To leave sin's thorny way. 

Cant., II, 11, 12. 



THE SUNFLOWER. 



21 



Second Day. 

Gbe Sunflower, 

The Sunflower, with its large, black disk and 
golden rays, having this peculiar quality of raising 
its head with the rising of the sun, keeping steadily 
turned towards it, and drooping with its setting, is 
appropriately called the symbol of faith. 

Faith constantly turns its gaze towards the sun of 
Divine love. Heaven it is that gives it vigor and 
the more this light withdraws, the weaker and more 
languid it becomes. Abraham is extolled in Holy 
Scriptures on account of his faith ; but Mary is still 
greater than he. The holy Fathers say, that the 
ever blessed Virgin had more faith than all men 
and angels together. St. Elizabeth greeted the di- 
vine Mother with these words, " Blessed art thou 
that hast believed." 1 So we should also praise her 
faith, and call her the heavenly Sunflower, the most 
beautiful emblem of faith. 

The Sunflower Turns Invariably Towards 
the Sun, and Mary always turned her believing 
eyes towards the beginning and end of her faith, 
Jesus Christ. From the cradle to the grave she 
looked upon Him. She contemplated a poor little 
babe in the stable of Bethlehem and believed that He 
was the Creator of heaven and earth. She saw Him 

1 Luke, I, 45. 



22 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



despised and dying on the cross, and remained stand- 
ing under it, which, according to St. Antoninus, was 
affected by her firm belief in the divinity of Jesus, 
which was never shaken in her heart. Let us also 
with Mary look constantly and lovingly on Jesus ; 
let us often contemplate the Crucifix with eyes of 
faith ; then our faith will become more firm, and 
our life will be a life of faith. " The just man 
liveth by faith." 1 

The Sunflower Raises its Head with Joy 
as Soon as the Sun Appears in the Heavens ; 
and Mary found her joy in faith. No sooner had 
Elizabeth proclaimed Mary blessed because she had 
believed, than she in holy ecstasy intoned that Can- 
ticle of joy, " My soul doth magnify the Lord ! " 2 
In like manner, we should rejoice in the thought of 
being children of the true Church : a thought that 
at the hour of death filled the saints with inex- 
pressible consolation. In crosses and sufferings there 
is no more consoling remembrance than that of being 
children of a mother in whose bosom it is good to 
live and to die, as St. Francis of Sales says. 

The Sunflower Follows Gratefully the 
Light that gives it heat and strength, and droops 
its head sadly when the sun disappears. After Jesus 
was baptized in the Jordan, Mary followed Him 
everywhere with thanks, according to the testimony 
of Euthymius. She had served Him faithfully, as 



1 Rom., I, 17. 



2 Luke, I, 46. 



THE SUNFLOWER. 



23 



well in the land of strangers as in her own country ; 
for Him she had labored, over Him she had wept ; 
for Him she suffered and to Him she had prayed 
without intermission; she had adored Him every 
morning and evening. It is quite natural that she 
left her peaceful home to follow in grateful love the 
blessed footsteps of her Divine Son, when He carried 
to the nations the light of faith. And finally when 
He died on the cross, she too, desired to depart from 
this vale of tears. According to the holy Fathers, 
faith is the greatest of all graces ; we should then in 
imitation of St. Teresa, never forget to thank God 
in our morning and evening prayers for this precious 
gift ; and often, after the example of St. Philip Neri, 
pray devoutly the Apostles' Creed, and show like 
Mary our gratitude for the grace of faith, by fol- 
lowing the Giver of this grace everywhere. Faith 
teaches us, that Jesus Christ is present in the holy 
Sacrament. There then we should constantly turn, 
as the Sunflower turns towards the light of the sun, 
and whether sleeping or waking, in the house or at 
work, our hearts and our eyes should ever be di- 
rected towards a church where the Blessed Sacrament 
reposes. 

Grant, O holy Virgin, that our faith may resemble 
thine ; then our hearts will resemble the Sunflower. 
Obtain for. us the grace that in every situation of 
life we may look upon Jesus, and our faith will be 
strengthened by his example. Grant also, sweetest 
Mother, that in remembering our holy faith we may 



24 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



be filled with holy joy, and thus impelled to hasten to 
Jesus to thank Him for this inexpressible happiness. 

The flower that wakens with the sun 
And follows him with constant gaze, 
Is emblem of that spotless one 
Whom men and saints and angels praise. 

Oh, may my spirit's inward eyes 
Like Mary's e'er be turned above. 
To Jesus may my heart e'er rise 
In His sweet Sacrament of love. 



Third Day. 

The Ivy is a plant with dark green and pointed 
leaves. It climbs on walls and twines itself around 
oak trees. On account of its tendency to climb on 
high and to cling closely to its support, it is the 
symbol of Hope. The Blessed Virgin said of her- 
self, "I am the mother of holy hope;" 1 therefore 
she can rightly be compared with the Ivy. 

The Ivy Always Seeks a Support. It grows 
high on trees or walls, and holds itself firmly there. 
In like manner, we never see Mary alone. She is 



1 Eccl., XXIV, 24. 



THE IVY. 



25 



always near her God, who is at the same time her 
Son. Jesus is her stay, her help, her counsel and 
her consolation. In every situation of life she con- 
fided and hoped in Him, knowing that those who 
trust in the Lord shall never be confounded. When 
she lost Jesus in the temple she did not seek conso- 
lation from men, but with firm confidence she hoped 
that she would again find her dear Son. Neither 
was she disappointed, for she found the object of her 
search, her beloved Child. 

When Jesus was dying on the cross, Mary did 
not let herself be carried away by grief, neither did 
she seek to be consoled by creatures, but quietly and 
resignedly she hoped in the Lord, who soon after 
rewarded this confidence by His miraculous Resur- 
rection. So should we, in imitation of Mary, trust 
in God and not in man. " Whosoever trusts in 
man," says St. Teresa, " leans upon a broken staff. " 
Let us raise ourselves aloft to the Divine Heart of 
Jesus, cling to it firmly with the arms of holy hope 
and childlike confidence, and engrave deeply in our 
hearts these Divine w r ords : He who trusts in God 
will not be confounded forever. 

The Ivy Retains its Color Summer and 
Winter. Unchangeable, likewise, was the hope of 
the ever blessed Virgin ; nothing could shake it for 
a moment ; yea, just at the time when everything 
seemed to concur to weaken it, she still hoped the 
more steadfastly. When she saw Jesus poor and 
forsaken, dying like a malefactor on the cross, she 



26 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



stood with assured confidence beneath the redeeming 
Tree, for she hoped firmly and unshakenly, as St. 
Ambrose says, for the redemption of the world and 
the salvation of mankind, which she knew was to be 
accomplished through the death of her Son. We 
should imitate our Mother by hoping all the more 
in God, when we have the least to expect from crea- 
tures. Hope, says blessed Egidius, is a child of the 
night, by which he means that it is only a holy, 
praiseworthy and meritorious virtue, when exercised 
amid dark and gloomy prospects. 

The Iyy is Green. But green is the emblem 
of hope ; so is Mary our hope. From her, rays of 
hope are spread over the entire world. Wherever 
the glorious name of her Son Jesus is known and 
honored, Mary is known and honored as the Mother 
of Hope. In every situation of life her children 
turn to her, imploring her intercession, and through 
her expect help from God. Those only, says St. 
Bernard, who ever invoked the Blessed Virgin in 
vain, should cease to praise her excellence. Let us 
then always take refuge in Mary, who after Jesus is 
our only hope. Let us not rely on the influence, 
promises, dignities or riches of men, but in our mis- 
fortunes trust in her who can and will help us. 

St. Edward, King of England, a true son of Mary, 
never refused a petition made in her name ; neither 
will Jesus, the best of sons, refuse our petitions when 
offered by the best of mothers. Thou wilt, then, O 
ever blessed Virgin, be my refuge in all my neces- 



BURNING LOVE ; OK, CHALCEDONICA. 27 



sities. In thee will I trust, and in thee will I 
hope forever. 

The dying oak with Ivy wreathed, 

Shows life amid decay ; 
So hope in Mary brightly burned 

When darkest seemed the way. 

Firm as a rock, on Calvary's height, 
She stood beneath the Cross, 

Resigned to give her Son to death, 
Though grieving for her loss. 

Her gaze was ever fixed on God, 

In Him her hope reposed ; 
She never doubted in her trust 

Until her tried life closed. 



Fourth Day. 

Burning Xove; or, Cbalcebonica* 

On a firm, light green stalk we find a number of 
tiny star-shaped flowers so clustered as to form but 
one flower, which, on account of its fiery red color, 
is called Burning Love ; and it is considered a fit 
emblem of love. 

If there was ever love on earth just as true and 
genuine as it was ardent, it was none other than that 



28 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



which burned in the immaculate heart of Mary. Of 
her the saints say, that in love of God she surpassed 
the Seraphim, and that the love of all created beings, 
compared to hers, must fade as the stars of night 
vanish when the morning sun appears in the heav- 
ens. Therefore, holy Church justly applies to Mary 
these words : " I am the Mother of fair love," 1 and 
places her before us as our model and the most glo- 
rious representative of the true love of God. Mary, 
so resplendent in all virtues, is especially pre-emi- 
nent in that which the Apostle calls the most exalted : 
u But the greatest of these is charity ; " 2 wherefore 
St. Bonaventure admirably salutes her as Queen of 
Love. 

Burning Love has a Bright Red Color, 
which typifies the flaming fire of love, the ardor of 
which no obstacle can extinguish, no impediment 
deter ; that devotedness to which nothing seems too 
hard or too great to bear ; that glow of love which 
is the most inflamed by storms, and which burns the 
brightest in misfortune. Where can we find more 
love than that which glows in the holy heart of 
Mary? Let us contemplate the love of the Mother 
in the stable of Bethlehem. She tenderly embraces 
her babe, carefully protects it, and tenderly wraps it 
in swaddling clothes; and in doing this, says St. 
Bernard, she also infolds all her maternal love. 
Again, let us look at her perseverance beneath the 



1 Eccl.,XXIV, 24. 



2 1 Cor., XIII, 13. 



BURNING LOVE; OR, CHALCEDONICA. 29 

Cross ; she would not for a moment leave her Child, 
but lovingly remained there that He might have, at 
least, that consolation in His inexpressible torment. 
We may then understand that a love so ardent in 
the beginning, and increasing more and more until 
death, can be truly called burning love, and the 
flower of that name can be compared only to the 
maternal heart of Mary. Thus, too, should we love 
God, or since we cannot attain to such exalted love, 
let us, at least, endeavor to imitate it. This love 
should consist, not merely in words read from a 
prayer book, or in sensible devotion, which we some- 
times, but only transiently, experience ; no, it should 
be intense, and we should be entirely inflamed with 
it ; it should not shrink from any obstacle ; it should 
urge us to do great things for God, " For the charity 
of Christ presseth us." 1 

Burning Love has Star-Shaped Blossoms, 
and in this respect can be compared to God's holy 
love, which shines like a star in the dark night of 
life. That was the star which directed the Blessed 
Virgin during her whole life, and upon which she 
looked in every misfortune. As the three Kings 
were once led to Jesus by a star, so did love, like a 
star, ever lead Mary again and again to her Divine 
Child. To us also will the love of God be a star, 
that will not let us deviate from the right way, but 
will direct us in the night of adversity, and finally 



X II Cor., V, 14. 



30 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



guide us to Jesus in Heaven. The Following of 
Christ says, "He who loves God with his whole heart 
will not be elated by prosperity nor dejected in ad- 
versity." 

Burning Love has Always Many Blossoms 
United in One Flower ; thus the love of God 
manifests itself to its beloved in many ways. The 
Blessed Virgin shows her love to Jesus by providing 
Him with food and clothing, by accompanying Him 
on his toilsome journey s, and by loving all those who 
are dear to the Divine Saviour. We should like- 
wise show, in various ways, that the love of God 
burns in our hearts. We should feed and clothe 
Jesus in the person of the poor; we should adorn 
Him with jewels by contributing to the support of 
His churches, and by decorating His altars ; we 
should love Him by our charity towards all good 
Christians, and by our veneration for priests and 
religious who are especially dear to Him. With the 
desire to do this, we turn to thee, O ever Blessed 
Virgin Mary, for in truth thy heart resembles the 
flower Burning Love ! Infuse into our cold, empty 
hearts only one spark of that fire which inflamed thy 
own, and they will burn with love for God ! What 
can be wanting to us in this vale of tears if through 
thy powerful intercession we are entirely inflamed 
with love for God? Every sorrow will pass away, 
every doubt vanish, and this life will be a heaven on 
earth. Let us pray to thee not in vain, O heavenly 



THE LILY. 



31 



Burning Love, but mercifully hear our humble 
supplications. 

See Burning Love with colors bright. 
And star-shaped flowers, a pleasing sight ! 
Its very name to all may prove 
That it is a type of ardent love. 

O Mary ! Queen of love most fair, 
Deign with our hearts this love to share ; 
Inflame them with a holy zeal, 
That love for God and thee we feel. 

O God ! may our hearts ne'er traitors be, 
But give their first best love to Thee ; 
While creatures in us interest wake, 
Teach us to love them for God's sake. 



Fifth Day. 

Great is the beauty of the Lily w r ith its dazzling 
white calix, opening towards the heavens. It grows 
on an upright stem encircled with small leaves, and 
exhales an extremely delightful odor. Our Lord 
Jesus Christ, himself, praised its splendor : " Con- 
sider the lilies how they grow : they labor not, neither 
do they spin. And yet I say to you, that not even 



32 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



Solomon in all his glory, was arrayed as one of 
these." 1 

By almost all nations and in all ages, this flower 
has been considered as an emblem of innocence or 
purity ; and it has really so many properties relative 
to this virtue, that it may very appropriately be 
styled the portrait of Chastity. St. Ambrose in one 
of his sermons says : " Who in looking at the lily 
will not involuntarily think of the virtue of purity, 
which has found its most glorious and perfect image 
in Mary?" Therefore the Archangel Gabriel ap- 
pearing to the Blessed Virgin, is represented with a 
lily in his hand, to symbolize her ever stainless 
virginity. Wherefore, the pious legend speaks of 
the Apostles finding only lilies growing on her grave, 
but nothing else. 

The Lily is White and its clear spotless robe 
indicates the purity of a soul in a state of innocence. 
" Mary is the most beautiful lily in the garden of 
God, for her heart was never sullied by the least sin " 
(St. Epiphanius). She never committed actual sin, 
and as our holy faith teaches, she was exempt from 
original sin. We poor children of men are neither 
exempt from original sin, nor have we lived without 
sinning. Alas ! in how many hearts is the lily of 
purity tarnished, crushed or lost? Let us now at 
least firmly resolve to lead pure lives and detest 
the vice of impurity ; let us reverence the virtue 



iMath., VI, 28, 29. 



THE LILY. 



33 



of chastity in Mary and all those pure souls on 
earth, who are endeavoring with all their power 
to awaken in all minds a love and desire for this 
holy virtue. 

The Lily Elevates Itself above the Earth 
as if to say to us, that the virtue of purity can only 
bloom in perfection, far away from the tumult and 
pleasures of the world. So we see that the Blessed 
Virgin, from her infancy, was ever in the temple, 
except when in the house of her dear parents, with 
God, or by the side of her Divine Son. She kept 
aloof from the world, and as the lily is encircled only 
by leaves growing from its own stem, Mary was 
surrounded only by her Jesus, St. Joseph, St. John, 
St. Mary Magdalene, the Apostles and disciples, 
souls that like her were of one heart and one mind. 
If we meditate on this example, we will avoid the 
world, and especially its dangerous joys and pleasures, 
which are often snares for innocence and slowly 
instill the poison of impurity. Let us then associate 
only with those whose intercourse will tend to 
strengthen us in virtue, and lead us to love more 
and more the holy virtue of purity. 

The Lily Emits a Most Delicious Odor, 
and in this also is a figure of chastity ; for this virtue 
ascends heavenward like an exquisite perfume, and 
refreshes the Divine Heart so much, that Jesus has 
promised to poor souls a special reward in these 
words : " These follow the Lamb whithersoever he 



3 



34 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



goeth," 1 and, " They sung as it were a new canticle, 
before the throne," 2 and, " Blessed are the clean of 
heart for they shall see God." 3 Even while upon 
earth our Divine Saviour was attracted by the fra- 
grance of this virtue. He chose the most pure 
Virgin for His Mother, the chaste Joseph for His 
foster-father, the angelic John for His bosom friend, 
and innocent children for His most beloved creatures. 
Of the ever Blessed Virgin the holy Fathers say, we 
need only look upon her to be inflamed with the love 
of holy purity ; and when in eternity we contemplate 
her as Queen of Heaven and earth, we will only 
then understand that her Immaculate purity was as 
inexpressibly great as her reward and her glory are 
now. This is another reason for loving holy purity : 
it makes us more pleasing in the sight of God and 
man, and exerts a heavenly influence upon all with 
whom we associate, and in heaven it will obtain for 
us the highest and greatest reward. 

Inflamed and attracted by the unutterable loveliness 
of thy purity, O Virgin of virgins, we are resolved 
to serve thee henceforth with chaste bodies and pure 
hearts ; but as there is no virtue so difficult to pre- 
serve, none against which the world, the flesh and 
the devil wages war so continually; therefore, we 
beseech thee, O heavenly Lily, to obtain through thy 
powerful intercession that our hearts, like beds of 
lilies, safe in the midst of thorns, may bloom without 



1 Apoc., XIV, 4. 2 Apoc, XIV, 3. 3 Math., V, 8. 



THE ROSEMARY. 



35 



spot around thy maternal heart. Increase in us 
daily more and more a hatred and disgust for im- 
purity, and inflame us with holy love and great 
esteem for the great treasure of purity; for, what 
man loves, he tries to preserve and fears to lose. 

O Virgin, as the lily pure, 
Great chastity for me procure ; 
Accept the heart I offer thee 
And from defilement keep it free. 

O spotless Virgin, undefiled, 
Look down from heaven upon thy child, 
Inflame my heart with purest love 
And teach it how to rest above. 

O let me fly from everything 
That could this purest virtue sting ! 
O may my heart a lily be 
The heart I give to God and thee. 



Sixth Day. 

Zhc IRosemarp* 

Who does not know the lovely Rosemary with its 
many succulent little leaves of dark-green hue, its 
blue blossoms, its penetrating scent and bitter taste ? 
In many places it adorns the newly ordained priest 



36 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



at his first holy mass, as well as the bride on her 
wedding-day. With it the deceased youth and 
maiden are decked for burial as their last ornament. 
In the language of flowers, Rosemary signifies peni- 
tence or mortification, that virtue which our Divine 
Saviour recommends with the words : " If any man 
will come after me, let him deny himself, and take 
up his cross daily, and follow me. 1 

We are all conceived in sin, and during life we 
offend God more or less ; we must, therefore, strive 
to obtain Heaven by penitential sentiments and self- 
abnegation. Not in vain is that sentence of our 
Divine Saviour : " Unless you do penance you shall 
all likewise perish." 2 The Virgin Mary was con- 
ceived without stain, and during the whole course 
of her life, never committed the least imperfection ; 
nevertheless, she always practiced this virtue. At- 
tracted by its beauty, she would also serve us as a 
model in this regard, and make this virtue, which is 
so essential to sanctification, sweet and pleasing to 
us, through her example. In her heart, wherein all 
the flowers of virtue germinated, bloomed also the 
Rosemary, signifying the virtue of mortification. 

Rosemary Has a Dark-Blue Blossom ; this 
color signifies mourning and penance. A pious legend 
relates of the Blessed Virgin, that she never was seen 
laughing; that her expression was always earnest, 
her countenance filled with sorrow. She lived con- 



A Luke, IX, 23. 



2 Luke, XIII, 3. 



THE ROSEMARY. 



37 



tinually retired; remote from every noisy pleasure 
and public enjoyment. Only once, according to the 
words of Holy Writ, she assisted at a wedding, and 
then only in company with her Divine Son, in order 
to practice on this occasion an act of love towards 
her neighbor. Oh ! how ought we to blush, in com- 
paring ourselves to Mary, w T ho without sin or fault, 
lived such a very mortified life ! We who accumulate 
sin upon sin, deny ourselves nothing, mortify our- 
selves in nothing, and shudder at every, even the 
most trifling, sacrifice which the Lord requires of us. 
— Let us entreat the Virgin Mother of God, that by 
her intercession with her Divine Son, we may not 
forget in future, that w r e shall not be saved without 
penance ; therefore, let us abstain not only from 
sinful pleasures, but also deny ourselves here and 
there innocent amusements, and permitted delights 
for the love of Mary, and as penance for our 
sins. 

As the Rosemary Has on its Stems Many 
Little Leaves, so has the virtue of mortification 
many different ways of being practiced. In the life 
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we find so many in- 
stances of self-denial, that in this regard we can also 
compare her most holy heart to Rosemary. To quote 
some examples ; how willingly would she have gone 
with Jesus, when He went forth to teach, but she 
remained until He called her. — With what delight 
would she, after the death of Jesus,, have spent her 
life in absolute retirement, there to await death which 



38 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



would have united her with God ; but she refrained, 
offering her desire to the Lord, who wished to place 
her at the head of His Apostles and disciples, as pro- 
tectress of His infant Church. St. Francis of Sales 
says, " As love is inventive to show love in various 
ways to the object beloved ; in like manner, the true 
spirit of penance finds manifold ways to offer an 
oblation and to make satisfaction for sins." O, if 
we were only really penetrated with a knowledge of 
our sinfulness, we would endeavor, in many ways, 
to practice mortification ; the more so, as the occasions 
for so doing present themselves daily, yes, hourly. 
How often could we mortify ourselves with regard 
to talking, looking, eating, drinking, sleeping or 
watching ! Let us address ourselves to the Blessed 
Virgin, that through her intercession, we may obtain 
strength to make such sacrifices, and exercise our- 
selves in mortification in various ways. 

Rosemary Has a Bitter Taste, but possesses 
healthful properties ; wherefore, it is also used as 
medicine. How richly rewarded in Heaven is the 
motherly heart of Mary, which tasted, while here 
upon earth, so frequently the bitterness of penance 
and mortification ! Therefore, her example should 
incite us to practice this virtue most assiduously 
and cultivate the Rosemary of mortification in the 
garden of our hearts. Certainly, mortification or 
self-denial is hard to human nature and its taste 
bitter like the Rosemary ; but like it, also attended 
with most blessed results. By penance we blot out 



THE ROSEMARY. 



39 



our sins, and thus prepare ourselves a glory in 
Heaven, which will be equal in grandeur and de- 
light to the reward of holy innocence. " O blessed 
mortification," cried out St. Peter of Alcantara, 
" which obtained for me such a glory ! " 

O Mary, when we behold thy sweet, holy and 
immaculate heart adorned with the Rosemary of 
mortification and penance, the longing awakens 
within us to be like thee in this respect ! Open our 
eyes, therefore, we beseech thee that we may see the 
whole misery of our sinfulness ; let us always re- 
member these terrifying words of thy Divine Son, 
that we cannot be saved without penance. Penetrate 
us thoroughly with a keen, and lively perception 
of how the least offence against God, wounds and 
grieves the Divine Heart of Jesus ; then will we 
live truly penitential lives, and practice mortifi- 
cation by different ways and means, and in con- 
sidering the great reward of this virtue, we will 
not fear its bitterness. 

Rosemary tells us we should try, 
Our sinful flesh to mortify ! 
Through penance we draw near to God. 
And He averts the chastening rod. 

O Mary, maid of virtue rare 

Soon may my soul thy virtue share ! 

Yes, heedless of the sacrifice 

Which must be made to conquer vice. 



40 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



By thy example may I strive 
At solid virtue to arrive. 
Till freed from sin, I once arise 
To sing thy praise in Paradise. 



Seventh Day. 

Gbe ftulip* 

The bright-colored Tulip holds itself erect upon a 
straight firm stem surrounded by somewhat oblong 
leaves. Its calix closes at night but reopens, as 
soon as the sun rises. The only thing which this 
flower lacks is perfume. Although it does not 
delight the sense of smell, yet it rejoices the eye by 
its beautiful, variegated dress. In a spiritual sense, 
the tulip may be compared to prayer, and is there- 
fore, taken as an emblem of this virtue. 

When the Archangel Gabriel brought to the 
Blessed Virgin the glad tidings, that she was to 
become the Mother of the Most High, he found her 
absorbed in prayer. As often as we read of Mary 
in Holy Scripture, we find that she loved prayer. 
When yet a child, she practiced this virtue, and 
when she was brought into the temple, she spent 
the entire day in prayer and work. In her humble 
home at Nazareth, she frequently prayed, and during 
the awful passion of her beloved Son, Jesus Christ, 



THE TULIP. 



41 



she obtained by prayer, that strength, which enabled 
her to stand without shrinking beneath the Cross of 
her dying Son. It was during prayer, that she, 
with the Apostles, received the Holy Ghost on 
Pentecost, and in prayer she awaited the consumma- 
tion of her life. Our Divine Saviour who extremely 
loved this virtue, incites us to it by the following 
words : " Watch ye and pray ; v 1 and " Watch ye, 
therefore, praying at all times." 2 

None followed Jesus more faithfully than Mary. 
With justice could St. Epiphanius say : " The life 
of Mary was a continual prayer." We also have 
an obligation to pray, for upon prayer depends our 
salvation, which we can gain only by persevering 
in prayer. We should therefore, rejoice to have 
such a sublime example as Mary, in whose heart 
bloomed the tulip, the virtue of the love of prayer ; 
and we should frequently contemplate it in order 
to imitate it. 

The Tulip Has its Head Always Directed 
Toward Heaven. This signifies prayer, which is 
a colloquy of the soul with God. God is to the 
soul, what the sun is to nature, its light, its warmth 
and its life. Therefore, if the Christian prays, he 
turns toward Heaven, where God abides. God is 
the King of kings, and Lord of hosts, therefore the 
Christian prays with reverence and devotion. God 
is eternal love, and Father of goodness ; therefore 



1 Math., XXVII, 41. 2 rLuke, XXI, 36. 



42 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



the Christian prays with love and confidence ; and 
if our prayer were always borne on these two wings 
of reverence and love, as St. Bernard calls them, 
it would always obtain its end, and never remain 
unheard. With what respect did Mary petition her 
Divine Son at the marriage-feast at Cana ! And 
with what unshaken confidence did she continue her 
prayer; when it seemed as though Jesus did not 
heed her petition. " As water is necessary for trees, 
flowers and plants," says St. John Chrysostom, "even 
so is prayer necessary for us ; for, as the former will 
dry up for want of sap, so our souls without prayer, 
like a flower which has not been moistened for a 
long time, becomes dry and bends towards the earth." 

The Tulip Reopens When the Sun Rises, 
whereas it is closed during the night. Thus the 
soul, which loves prayer, opens herself only to God 
and heavenly things ; esteems only these ; perceives 
only these ; and, with great care, shuts herself up to 
the night of sin, and to the world, which would 
deter her from prayer, or make it distasteful to her 
by distractions. Thus we behold Jesus Christ seek- 
ing a solitary place for prayer ; yes. " He even left 
the company of his Apostles, when he wished to pray. 
The Blessed Virgin Mary also, we find alone at 
prayer in the temple and at home. Only when 
duty, good example, or love for her neighbor 
required it, did she leave the holy retirement of her 
house. " If you wish to pray well," says St. 
Francis de Sales, " withdraw as much as possible 



THE TULIP. 



43 



from the world ; above all do not meddle with 
matters which are foreign to your calling ; for, the 
more freedom you give yourself in idle talk and 
useless thoughts before prayer, the more feeble and 
empty will be your prayer, and the more will you 
have to suffer from distraction." 

The Tulip Exhibits a Geeat Variety of 
Colors, and by this, it tells us that prayer, although 
essentially one, has nevertheless various methods. 
Spiritual writers, speaking of the different kinds of 
prayer, divide it into vocal and mental. Among 
the vocal prayers, the first place is given to the 
Lord's prayer, which Jesus Christ Himself has 
taught, and the holy Rosary which the Church has 
enriched with so many indulgences and treasures of 
grace, and which the saints so much loved to recite. 
In regard to mental prayers, by far the most useful 
and meritorious one is the "Way of the Cross," 
which we should love so much the more, since the 
Blessed Virgin Mary herself first went this Way 
through the streets of Jerusalem, meditating and 
praying. There are also ejaculatory prayers, which 
are momentary elevations, or glances, of the soul 
towards God. A good intention is likewise con- 
sidered a good prayer, for, by it, all our works, 
actions and employments are sanctified, and so to 
speak, changed into prayer. But we should pay 
particular attention to the admonitions of two great 
saints of the Church, namely, St. Francis de Sales, 
who says, that in affliction and adversities, the best 



44 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



prayer is : " O Lord, Thy will be done : " and St. 
Alphonsus, who recommends above all, the prayer 
of petition. He says that, " after holy Communion, 
we should ask for humiliations ; and every evening 
beg for the grace of final perseverance." 

O heavenly Tulip, my most beloved Mother 
Mary ! In your heart burned the love of prayer, 
and you practiced this virtue to an exalted degree 
in every circumstance of your life ! Obtain for us 
also the grace, that we may every day comprehend 
more and more the majesty of prayer, since there 
can be no greater honor for man, than to speak to 
his God. Teach us yourself, O Blessed Virgin, 
how to pray, for you are, according to St. Bonaven- 
ture, the teacher of prayer. Oh ! if we could only 
pray as we ought, then we would surely walk in the 
way of virtue ; for St. Augustine says : " Whosoever 
knows how to pray well, knows also how to live 
well." Instill into our hearts, O Blessed Lady, a 
great love for solitude and contempt for this world, 
that we may not be troubled by distractions during 
prayer, nor be induced to leave off praying; and 
when by your powerful intercession with God, you 
have obtained for us, a sincere love for prayer ; then 
we will pray with joy ; we will spend all our spare 
time in this holy exercise, and thus we will sanctify 
all our actions, and in prayer we will seek and find 
our rest and consolation ; then will we be able to 
say with that holy servant of God, Zitta, " Every 
one must have joy, as for me, I have mine in prayer." 



THE TULIP. 



The Tulip's crown, raised high in air, 
Reminds us of the voice of prayer ; 
The humble prayer from earth ascends, 
And God, assistance kindly lends. 

Blessed Mary knew this holy art, 
And from her sinless Virgin heart 
The prayer of faith, of hope, of love, 
Ascended to the Throne above. 

Through life, prayer was her loving task ; 
At Canals feast we hear her ask, 
And tho' it was before His time, 
Her Son changed water into wine. 

While now from Heaven she sees our needs 
E'er with that Son for us she pleads, 
And prays that we from God ne'er roam, 
That so we reach our destined home. 

In all our trials may we find 
Assistance in this Mother kind ; 
And when on earth our lives shall close, 
May we in Heaven find sweet repose. 



46 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



Eighth Day. 

fllMononette* 

Charles IX, King of France, once asked the Poet 
Tasso who, in his estimation, was the happiest? 
Tasso without hesitation replied, " God." " Every 
one knows that," responded the King, " therefore 
my question does not refer to Him ; but who after 
God is the happiest?" Then Tasso answered : " He 
who becomes most like to God." Exterior resem- 
blance consists in similarity of features ; but interior 
resemblance, my dear Christians, is the similarity of 
the will. Whoever wishes what God wishes, and 
unites his own will entirely to the Divine will, is 
the most like to God. The emblem of this vir- 
tue of resignation to the Divine will is the flower 
called Mignonette, which name signifies Repose or 
Rest. This flower, which exhales the sweetest fra- 
grance, is as well known as it is loved, both in the 
garden and in the house. Oh ! would that the virtue 
it resembles were well known, loved and practiced 
by all Christians. To this end let us contemplate it 
attentively, especially in Mary, who by her example 
also shows herself great in this virtue. 

When the Archangel Gabriel descended from 
Heaven and announced to Mary that she should 
become the Mother of the Most High, at that 
supreme moment when heaven and earth hung 



MIGNONETTE. 



47 



expectantly upon her decision, she uttered those 
words, by which she co-operated in the redemption 
of the human race : " Be it done to me according to 
thy word." 1 When she stood beneath the Cross of 
her dying Son and He gave her, through St. John, 
to the whole human race as a Mother, then her 
heart, as St. Bonaventure so beautifully expresses it, 
though pierced through by a sword of grief, repeated 
the words : " Be it done to me according to thy 
word." " Observe the whole life of Mary," cries 
out St. Bernard, " and you will always find her will 
united to that of her Divine Son." 

The Mignonette is Insignificant in Ap- 
pearance, for it is devoid of brilliant colors. In 
like manner the virtue which it represents is unos- 
tentatious and even hidden, because it has its seat 
concealed in the heart of the Christian whose will is 
so united to the Divine will, that they form but one. 
Resignation necessarily belongs to a cross, and with- 
out crossses no man can become holy. Even Jesus 
Christ when He assumed human nature practiced this 
virtue, that he might serve as our model. When He 
suffered His agony and bloody sweat in the garden 
of Olives He prayed three times, " Father, if Thou 
wilt, remove this chalice from me ; nevertheless, not 
my will but Thine be done ! " 2 

Can we His scholars and disciples exempt ourselves 
therefrom ? We must necessarily have a cross, for 



1 Luke, I, 38. 



2 Luke, XXII, 42. 



48 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



without crosses there can be no virtue whatsoever. 
Take away the cross and love becomes a natural 
human affection ; take away the cross and hope will 
not elevate itself above the earth ; take away the 
cross and humility is nothing but vanity; take away 
the cross and fortitude is weakness. A coin is not 
considered currency unless an image or inscription 
be stamped upon it. These impressions which it 
receives, are, so to speak, its wounds ; and they are 
the things that give it current value. So likewise 
your virtues, unless stamped with the cross of Christ 
and His sufferings, are worthless and unacceptable 
currency for Heaven. 

The Mignonette Exhales a Most Fragrant 
Perfume, which is, as it were, an offering that the 
flowers present to man to reward him for their 
cultivation ; so the virtue of resignation to the will 
of God, obtains for the Christian many gifts and 
graces in return ; for example : Peace of Heart : 
We read that when the Apostles found their ship in 
a storm, and knew that Jesus slept, they exclaimed 
in terror, Ci Lord save us, we perish ! " 1 The Master 
arose, and with a gesture of His hand commanded 
the winds and the waves, and immediately a great 
calm ensued ; the billows sank ; the rain ceased ; the 
blue sky shone out again, and the sun appeared once 
more. Here the Divine hand is a symbol of resig- 
nation to God's will. As soon as you courageously 



iMath., VIII, 25. 



MIGNONETTE. 



49 



say, with your whole heart, in time of tribulation : 
" O Lord, thy will be done ! " your tears will cease ; 
your lips will utter no more complaints ; the flutter- 
ing of your heart will cease ; peace and blessed 
tranquillity will return ! 

Answering of Pbayer : St. Francis of Sales 
says, that a single " i Lord, thy will be done/ said in 
time of misfortune, has more merit, power and value, 
than a thousand Our Fathers in time of prosperity 
and quiet." 

Heavenly Consolation : " Come to me, all 
you that labor and are heavy laden," says our Lord, 
" and I will refresh you ; " 1 refresh you with conso- 
lation which will sweeten all your sufferings. What 
consolation, to rest with Jesus the Crucified upon 
the Cross ! Wherever you find crosses, you will also 
find Jesus. He will become united to you through 
sufferings, and you will become united to Him through 
patience. In this holy union consists the happiness 
of this life. He unites Himself with the blessed 
through joys; He unites Himself with mortals 
through sorrows and afflictions. 

Blessing of God : In a family, where there is a 
cross, there is also the Lord Himself, the dispenser 
of all blessings. An afflicted soul need not ask God 
for any more blessings, for she has them in the cross. 
O that all Christians would recognize the countless 
merits they can acquire by enduring crosses patiently ! 

1 Math., Xl ; 28. 
4 



50 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



" Such a person/' says Blessed Egidius, " is like a 
tabernacle. I could kneel down before him because 
he bears within him the living God." A cross is 
nothing else but an epistle of the Lord to the soul 
in which is written : " I love thee, I bless thee." 

The Mignonette is Green. Green signifies 
hope, courage and confidence. He alone loses almost 
everything who loses courage ! But what is it, that 
encourages us to be resigned to the holy will of God 
during time of adversity and tribulations? It is 
carrying our cross in the manner we ought. The 
first method of so doing, is taught us by Saint Teresa 
of Jesus, who says : " If you wish to carry your 
cross with ease, you must not drag it, but lift it up 
energetically and hasten forward." 

The second manner is taught us by a pagan. The 
highly renowned Solon, a pagan philosopher, once 
led a friend, who was bowed down with trouble to 
the highest tower in the city of Athens, whence he 
pointed out all the magnificent palaces, splendid 
buildings and warehouses of merchants and ex- 
claimed : " Oh, how many calamities and disquie- 
tudes ; how many cares and troubles are concealed 
under these roofs ! " 

The third mode we are taught by experience. 
You will never find a family which is so unfortunate 
that it could not console itself with the thought that 
there are others which are more so. 

The fourth way is taught us by reason, which 
says : " Why are you grieved ? Your misfortune is 



MIGNONETTE. 



51 



not to be inordinately feared. If it is small, then 
it is easy to be borne ; if it is great, it cannot last 
long. , An evil which is violent cannot continue ; if 
not overcome in any other way, it must succumb of 
itself, for it takes away the life, or the feelings. 
Only in hell evil endures forever. Time brings all 
to an end without your thinking of it. Your pain 
can not last longer than your life. And what is life 
compared to eternity." 

The fifth manner is taught us by the Eternal 
Truth, Jesus Christ Himself, who cries out : " If any 
man will come after me, let him deny himself, and 
take up his cross daily, and follow me." 1 Wonderful 
to relate, that the cross which causes us to suffer, is 
our greatest consolation. Behold Mary beneath the 
cross! All her complaints are silenced; all her 
lamentations are hushed ; all her tears are dried ; for 
she stood beneath the cross. Seek you also your 
consolation in the Crucified ! He calls down to you 
from the Cross, saying : u Whosoever wants to follow 
me — and whither? — into eternal glory, into Paradise, 
into Heaven, let him carry his cross with patience ! " 
Whosoever wishes to become blessed, let him be re- 
signed to the will of God ! 

Oh ! make my life resigned to God, 
My dearest, sweetest Mother ! 

Pray that I bow beneath the rod, 
And envy not my brother. 



1 Luke, IX, 23. 



52 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



Ninth Day. 

Gbe iDaseion^flower* 

The name as well as the form of the Passion-flower 
reminds us of the Passion of Christ. Its white and 
violet dress indicates mourning and sorrow ; the five 
stamens in its centre, as also the leaf with five di- 
visions, signify the five wounds of Jesus Christ. — 
The heart of Mary resembles the Passion-flower. 
How true were those prophetic words which holy 
Simeon addressed to her in the temple : " And thy 
own soul a sword shall pierce." 1 After that she 
could say in truth : " My sorrow is continually be- 
fore my eyes." When she took her Divine Child 
into her arms, she thought of how the executioners 
would one day take Him from her : When she kissed 
Him, the thought of the traitor's kiss like a sword, 
pierced her tender heart. When she wrapped the 
Infant in swaddling clothes, it appeared to her, as 
though she saw the cords and chains wherewith the 
Jews would bind the Saviour. When she watched 
over His sleep, she beheld in spirit the Cross, the last 
bloody resting place of her Divine Son. Thus the 
Passion-flower is an emblem of the heart of Mary. 
She felt the Passion of Jesus, long before He suffered 
it. When He entered upon it, she accompanied Him, 



^uke, II, 35. 



THE PASSION-FLOWER. 



53 



and after His sacrifice was consummated, she medi- 
tated upon it. 

My dear Christians, there is a double Way of the 
Cross. One we must go, but the other one we 
ought to go. 

After Jesus had Entered upon His Office 
as Teacher of Mankind, Mary quitted the ac- 
customed duties of her quiet household, to follow 
her Divine Son in His journeys. She forsook her 
peaceful home to share the fate of the persecuted 
Messiah ; to follow His blessed footsteps whilst He 
made known His doctrine to the Jews. After many 
fears and sufferings, the Blessed Virgin accompanied 
her Divine Son to the unfortunate city of Jerusalem, 
there to celebrate the last Paschal-feast. She heard 
the acclamation of the people at His entrance on Palm 
Sunday : " Hosanna to the Son of David ! " 1 But 
overlooking the palms, with which his way was 
strewn, she glanced with tearful eyes, towards the 
northwest, in the direction of Mount Calvary. The 
Mother followed, through the streets of Jerusalem, 
her thorn-crowned Son, bearing a heavy cross upon 
His mangled and bleeding shoulders. At a turn in 
the street, she met Him face to face; Oh, what a 
meeting that must have been ! Afterwards St. John 
and Mary Magdalene did all they could, to keep the 
Mother back from Golgotha, but their petitions were 
in vain. Mary summoning all her courage, began 



1 Math., XXI, 9. 



54 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



the ascent of Calvary. When she had reached the 
end of her sorrowful journey , she heard the blows of 
the hammer, as the executioners nailed her Son to 
the Cross. Who can describe her anguish, when she 
saw her Son expire upon the ignominious gibbet ! 
as petrified with grief, she stood motionless beneath 
it. When the Sacred Body was taken down from 
the Cross, she accompanied it to the Sepulcher, into 
which it was placed, and the last glance which fell 
upon it, before the stone closed the tomb, was that 
of the sorrowful Mother. What else is our pilgrim- 
age through this life, but a way of the cross ? Our 
first utterance, on coming into life, is a cry, which 
proves that we enter a valley of tears ; and our last 
struggle, on the death-bed, shows that we leave a 
vale of woe. Our life is a way of the cross with in- 
numerably more stations than fourteen ; poverty, 
sickness, contempt, disregard, ingratitude, family- 
troubles, interior sufferings, corporal pains, in short, 
a whole host of miseries embitter our lives. "O 
blessed wilt thou be," says St. Bernard, " if in thy 
journey through life, thou follow Jesus, as Mary did ; 
blessed, indeed, if Mary conducts you. In Jesus 
you will find strength, and in Mary consolation. 

Only a single word from Jesus was sufficient to 
take away the sorrow and affliction of St. Mary 
Magdalene, as she hastened, sad and deeply grieved, 
through the garden on the morning of the Resurrec- 
tion. " Mary ! " said the Lord and Master, in the 
form of a gardener ; she looked up ; recognized Him, 



THE PASSION-FLOWER. 



55 



and oh ! what delight, what blessedness filled her 
soul ! Then she hastened off to cany the glad tidings 
to the Apostles and disciples. Pilgrim on the way 
of the cross, Christian soul ! open the Holy Scrip- 
tures, a single word from the lips of Jesus will give 
you strength to suffer. " Come to me all you that 
labor and are heavy laden and I will refresh you." 1 

Intercourse with a soul severely tried, gives us 
wonderful consolation in our afflictions, says St. 
Bernardine of Sienna. You should, therefore, in 
the course of your sufferings, often go to Mary, and 
knock at the door of her heart ; that heart which 
was pierced through with a seven-fold sword, for 
there you will find a consolation which you will 
search for in vain among all men on earth. When 
Mary felt that the Lord would soon call her to 
Himself, she would fain behold once more her 
former home, the city of Redemption. She traveled, 
accompanied by St. John, to the place of sorrows — 
Palestine. Arrived at Jerusalem, she traversed all 
its streets, and the road to Golgotha. She visited 
the judgment hall of Caiphas, and all the places 
which were sanctified by the sufferings of her Son. 
She once more ascended Mount Calvary, where her 
Son had loved us unto death, and contemplated, in 
spirit, the entire Passion of Jesus Christ. 

St. Francis of Assisium, ardently desired to know 
from God, by what act he could please Him best, 



1 Math., VI, 28. 



56 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



and opened the Missal with this intention, and the 
opened page revealed the words : " Passio Domini 
nostri Jesu Christi," the Passion of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. From this his loving heart understood, 
that God loves nothing better than meditating on 
the sufferings of Christ. 

Therefore, dear Christians, let us frequently and 
willingly make this second way of the Cross ! Let 
us meditate on the fourteen stations, which the holy 
Church has enriched with so many graces, indul- 
gences and blessings ; — the way of the Cross, which 
our dearest Mother Mary made first of all, praying 
and meditating. Do not imagine that it is only a 
devotion for the holy season of Lent. The life of 
Jesus Christ was one of continued sufferings. Hence 
we should very often during life go in spirit the way 
of his Passion. The remembrance of the Passion 
and Death of Jesus Christ, should be our first 
thought in the morning and our last in the evening. 
Each day we should select one station or any point 
from the sufferings of our Lord, either His prayer 
on Mount Olivet, His crowning with thorns, or His 
scourging, and often during the day, recall to mind 
that upon which we meditated in the morning. 
Kissing the crucifix at our bedside should be for us 
a morning devotion, and recommending ourselves 
to the five holy wounds, should be our last act in 
the evening. 

If we act thus, our hearts will resemble the Pas- 
sion-flower. Although this flower has no scent, yet 



THE PASSION-FLOWER. 



57 



its symbolic virtue breathes forth a heavenly odor, 
namely, meditation on the Passion of Christ, which 
enriches our souls with eternal treasures. St. Bona- 
venture says : " One can not offer a more pleasing 
sacrifice to God, greater joy to the angels, nor 
greater honor to the Blessed Trinity than by exer- 
cising himself daily in meditation on the sufferings 
of Christ/' Albertus Magnus says : " A Christian 
who thinks with sincere affection of the Passion of 
Christ, though it be only for a short time, has more 
merit than another one, who without these thoughts 
should scourge himself to blood, fast on bread and 
water, or say the entire Psalter." " To meditate upon 
these sufferings," says St. Bernard, " I call wisdom ; 
in them I find the riches of salvation, and the pleni- 
tude of merits ; for from them I draw at one time salu- 
tary bitterness, at another the sweetest consolation." 

Therefore, heavenly Passion-flower, most Blessed 
Virgin Mary, let us in imitation of thee proceed 
patiently, during our lives, on our way of the cross 
with Jesus; and may we say often and willingly, 
with profound recollection, the stations of the bitter 
Passion and Death of Jesus Christ. Once, the 
Blessed Venturino of Bergamo, had engraved on 
his ring all the instruments of the Passion of Christ, 
together with these words : " The Cross of the Lord 
shall be my escutcheon." Let us, likewise, engrave 
deeply on our hearts, with indelible marks, these 
words : Christ Jesus suffered for us, was crucified 
for us, died for us. 



58 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



O thou Mother, fount of love, 
Touch my spirit from above ; 

Make my heart with thine accord ; 
Make me feel as thou hast felt ; 
Make my soul to glow and melt 

With the love of Christ my Lord. 

Holy Mother, pierce me through ; 
In my heart each wound renew 

Of my Saviour crucified. 
Let me share with thee His pain, 
Who for all my sins was slain, 

Who for me in torments died. 



Tenth Day* 

Gbe Balsomine* 

St. Ephraim, on visiting the hermit Julian in the 
desert, accidentally discovered that in his book the 
holy names Jesus and God, were everywhere either 
blotted out, or soiled. On being asked the cause of 
this, Julian answered : " The great penitent, Mary 
Magdalene, moistened the feet of Jesus with her tears, 
and I, great sinner that I am, endeavor to moisten 
the name of Jesus with my tears ! " u O tears of re- 
pentance," exclaims St. Lawrence Justinian, " thine 
is the power, thine is dominion ! v — And St. John 



THE BALSOMINE. 



59 



Chrysostom says : " Your sins are written in the 
great book ; weep for them and they will be effaced, 
shed tears of regret, and the writing will disappear, 
so great is the power of penitential tears." The 
Balsomine, a flower beautiful to behold and of dif- 
ferent colors, is the symbol of repentance, a virtue 
which should find a place in the hearts of all men, 
no difference what their station in life may be. This 
flower is odorless, therefore a fit emblem of sorrow 
for sin ; for where there is repentance for sin, the 
fragrance of the first grace is gone. This plant must 
be watered very frequently as it requires constant 
moisture ; in like manner the source of tears is the 
life of real and true contrition. 

Oh ! how David lamented over his sins ! He 
says : 66 I will water my couch every night with my 
tears ! " 1 How Peter deplored his fall ! Of him it 
is written : " And going forth, he wept bitterly." 2 
St. Pachomius often spent the whole night weeping, 
and it is stated that the rays of the rising sun fre- 
quently beheld him still bathed in tears. St. Mar- 
garet of Cortona bewailed her sins to such a degree, 
that she was in danger of becoming blind on account 
of her copious tears of regret. — And you, my dear 
Christians, have you no regret for the misdeeds of 
your past life? If not, then you know not what a 
grievous offence to God sin is ! — It is the greatest 
ingratitude, the greatest disobedience, the greatest 



1 Ps., VI, 7. 



2 Math., XXVI, 75. 



60 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



misfortune ! If by an untruth we could convert the 
whole world, we would not be justified in uttering 
it. The Apostle says that sin is a new crucifixion 
of Christ. St. Augustine accuses himself of having 
felt a certain pleasure in eating and drinking, which 
he did not suppress; with tearful eyes he accuses 
himself of sometimes having felt greater delight at 
the melody in singing the psalms, than in the signi- 
fication of the words. He accused himself of once 
taking delight in looking at a dog pursuing a hare, 
and at another time of watching a spider catching 
flies. Again he accused himself of one day rejoicing 
too much about the fine weather. — And we ? Alas ! 
we do not regret even the mortal sins of our lives, 
much less the venial sins which we commit through 
fickleness and through the little care we exert to 
avoid them; thus they grow to be innumerable, 
through our own fault. Where then is our regret ? 
Where are our tears ? You may answer, " we can 
not weep." Well then, you must implore this of 
God ; for contrite tears are a grace of God, a gift of 
Heaven ; therefore, holy Church has composed an ■ 
especial prayer, a litany for this purpose.* Once as 
St. Lewis was saying it, and came to the words : 
" O God, grant us a fountain of tears ; " he prayed 
very devoutly : " O my Lord, I venture not to pray 
for a fountain of tears, grant me only some drops to 
refresh the aridity of my heart ! " If God denies 



* Note, — I think this is not true. 



THE BALSOMINE. 



61 



you the gift of tears, which would relieve your anx- 
iety of heart, and anguish of soul ; if your eyes can 
not shed tears, let your heart, at least, weep by its 
deep regret for your sins, as long as you live ; for an 
offence against an eternal God, is atoned for only by 
a life-long sorrow. Repentance should shine through 
your life like a red thread, woven into a white fabric. 
It should manifest itself through continual prayer 
for pardon ; through unceasing endeavors to root out 
evil habits ; through a continued feeling of sorrow ; 
and also through penitential tears. Then your heart 
will be like the flower, Balsomine, and rejoice the 
motherly heart of Mary. But, my dear Christians, 
how dare we dedicate the Balsomine, an emblem of 
repentance, to Mary, who never committed a sin, and 
consequently, had nothing to regret? Yet, we can 
do so, because she, as well as her Divine Son, loved 
the virtue of repentance exceedingly, and rewarded 
it very highly ! 

Three times St. Peter denied his Lord saying, " I 
know him not," and he even confirmed the denial 
with an oath. Then our Divine Saviour cast upon 
him one glance which penetrated his soul like a dart, 
but it was a piercing dart of mercy. He then went 
out and wept bitterly, and as the holy Fathers assert, 
he bewailed these sins during his whole life, so that 
his cheeks became furrowed from continual tears of 
repentance which he shed. Did the Lord love him 
any the less because he had sinned ? Oh no ! But 
He loved him much more ; for He saw how truly 



62 



FLO WEES OF MARY. 



he repented his misdeeds. St. Peter's regret, which 
was great indeed, was the magnet which attracted 
the love of the Divine Heart, and held it captive. 
Christ made him the Head of the Church and 
prince of the Apostles, and committed to him the 
keys of the kingdom of Heaven. He was made as 
firm as a rock, against which the waves of opposition 
shall dash in vain, and the gates of hell not prevail. 

Great were the sins of Mary Magdalene, but when 
she bathed the feet of our Lord with her tears of 
contrition, He spoke to her the consoling words : 
" Thy sins are forgiven thee." 1 How tenderly she 
loved Jesus ! He permitted her to be continually 
near Him ; and, after His Resurrection, He even 
appeared to her. After the death of Christ, Mary 
received, into her motherly arms, the penitent Mag- 
dalene, who poured upon that pure and merciful 
bosom, tears of repentance. The Immaculate Vir- 
gin welcomed her lovingly to her sacred embrace, 
and ever after in the heart of this true penitent 
bloomed the lovely flower of repentance which 
opens its calix to Heaven. Magdalene, who had 
followed Mary across the sea, to Asia Minor, was 
allowed to die in her arms, and Mary bewailed her, 
as Jesus had bewailed Lazarus. Thus the virtue of 
repentance is loved by Jesus and Mary. Should we 
not therefore, make it the virtue of our lives ? the 
more so, because its reward is so great. 



1 Luke, VII, 48. 



THE BALSOMINE. 



63 



u I will remember his iniquities no longer/' says 
our Blessed Lord. And again, " There shall be joy 
in Heaven upon one sinner that doth penance, more 
than upon ninety-nine just who need not penance." 1 
" What conquers the invincible, what vanquishes the 
Conqueror of all things ? " exclaims St. Chrysostom ; 
" it is the tears of repentance, it is contrition for sin ! 
If the Lord sees this sorrow He cannot but forgive.'' 

St. Francis of Sales relates that in his time a 
detestable custom prevailed among the students of 
Padua, namely, that they went armed through the 
streets at night, halting passers-by with the cry : 
iC Who goes there ? " Whosoever did not answer to 
suit them, was attacked. A student who was cross- 
ing the street and did not reply to this challenge 
was killed. The murderer sought refuge in the 
house of a widow, whose son was his friend and 
fellow student. In the most touching words he 
besought the woman, to whom he confessed his 
crime, to conceal him in her house. Accordingly 
the compassionate widow concealed him in a remote 
closet. Presently her own and only son was brought 
home a corpse ; he had been murdered. The woman 
knew only too well who the murderer was. Weep- 
ing and lamenting she went to him, saying : " Oh ! 
what did my son do to you, that you murdered him 
so cruelly ! " Hearing that it was his dearly beloved 
friend, whom he had killed, the assassin broke forth 



iLuke, XV, 7. 



64 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



in loud cries ; and, instead of craving forgiveness of 
this good mother, he cast himself at her feet and 
conjured her to deliver him up to justice, that he 
might, publicly, atone for his great crime. The 
afflicted mother, who was a true Christian, was so 
moved at the repentance of this youth, that she 
said : " If you ask God to forgive you, and promise 
to amend your life, I will set you at liberty." She 
kept her word, and the youth making the required 
promise, was set at liberty. My dear Christians, if 
an earthly mother did this, how much more will the 
heavenly Mother Mary do for us, the offenders and 
murderers of her beloved and only Son, if we penitently 
and contritely seek refuge in her mild and merciful 
heart. . She will then appear with us at the judg- 
ment seat, not as our accuser, but as our advocate. 
She will step before the Throne of the eternal 
Judge, who is at the same time her Son, and speak 
thus : " For the contrition, the sorrow and the tears 
of this sinner, have mercy upon him, and show him 
compassion." Then our merciful Lord will forgive 
and reward this repentance on account of the inter- 
cession of His blessed Mother, and will give Heaven 
in exchange. The penitent sinner will sing in 
eternity with David : " They that sow in tears shall 
reap in joy." 1 u Thou hast turned my mourning 
into joy, thou hast cut my sack-cloth, and hast com- 
passed me with eternal gladness." 2 



1 Ps. CXXV, 5. 



2 Ps. XXIX, 12. 



THE CORN-FLOWER. 



65 



Therefore, O dearest Mother Mary, make that 
our hearts become Balsomines ; hearts moistened by 
tears of repentance, filled with contrition that will 
last during our whole life ; so true and sincere that 
your maternal heart, and the heart of your Divine 
Son, may be moved to love and reward us. Amen. 

Sweet Balsomine ! it signifies 
That penitential tears and sighs 

From God our pardon wins. 
Then Mary, teach us to repent, 
That so God's anger may relent 

And He forgive our sins. 



Eleventh Day. 

Gbe Cornflower* 

The valiant Max Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria, 
when besieging Belgrade cried out to his followers, 
as he boldly led the attack : " Follow me, Bavarians, 
follow me ! " This was an earthly prince ; but a 
heavenly Prince, the King of kings, Jesus Christ, 
cries out to us, "Follow me!" Let us, dear 
Christians, obey this summons as punctually as the 
Apostle Matthew, of whom we are told, that Christ 
said to him : " Follow me, and he rose up and fol- 
5 



66 



FLOWERS OF MABY. 



lowed him." 1 That we may the better do so, let us 
consider more closely the imitation of Christ, taking 
for our emblem the Corn-flower. 

This Flower Has a Very Rough Calix, 
which indicates the difficulties which the imitation 
of Christ causes to sensual or carnal-minded Chris- 
tians, as is expressed in these words : " How narrow 
is the gate, and straight the way, which leadeth to 
life." 2 The commandments of God, the precepts of 
the Church, the evangelical counsels seem difficult, 
and keep many a one back from following Christ, 
although the Lord Himself says, " My yoke is sweet 
and my burden light." 8 But how can a burden be 
sweet ? It is made so by God alleviating the pain, 
as He promised by the Prophet. " And his burden 
shall be taken off their shoulder." 4 If the burning 
bush was not consumed because the Lord was in its 
midst, it is certainly not astonishing, that a burden 
is easy, if the Lord is beneath it and helps to carry 
it. O ye Simons of Cyrene, ye who only follow 
the Lord constrainedly, the very reasons with which 
you try to relax the strict Christian principles, to 
excuse yourselves, will be your accusers. The 
Master went the thorny way, and it is but reasona- 
ble to say that the scholars should follow after Him. 
Shall the servant wear a crown of roses, whilst the 
Lord bears one of thorns? It is unreasonable to 

1 Math., IX, 9. 3 Math., XI, 30. 

2 Math., VII, 14. 4 Isai., XIV, 25. 



THE CORN-FLOWER. 



67 



say that a thing so sublime and grand as virtue ; — 
so glorious and eternal as Heaven shall be obtained 
without great labor and toil. What great burdens 
and difficulties do not earthly lovers willingly, yes, 
even joyfully undergo? To what a burdensome 
yoke of etiquette and human respect does the 
worldling not submit himself, in order to obtain 
the favors of mortals ; thus paying homage during 
his short existence to the phantom of a false philoso- 
phy. But for Jesus, each step is too much, each 
service too laborious. Dear Christians, let us fol- 
low reason and joyfully bend our spirits to the sweet 
yoke of Christ: which, alone, can make man free; 
let us follow Jesus Christ over the rough and thorny 
way which leads to light ; for, " He that folio weth 
me, walketh not in darkness," 1 says the Lord. 

The Corn-Flower Blooms Not in the Open 
Fields, the meadows or in gardens, but hidden in 
cornfields, shunning, as it were, observation. Christ 
lived thirty years in retirement and appeared only 
three years in public ; therefore, if we wish to imitate 
our Lord, we must love retirement and solitude. But 
you may object, and say, how can I do this with my 
large business, with my numerous family ? In reply, 
I give you the answer which St. Thomas of Aquin 
gave to his sister, who asked him the question, "How 
can one be saved?" He answered, " Volendo," only 
will it. — Can you not according to the counsel of 



1 John, VIII, 12. 



68 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi, reserve for yourself 
a quiet little chamber in your heart, where you may 
withdraw now and then from business, if only for a 
short space of time, to hide yourself from the world ? 

There are often visits, assemblies and amusements, 
which, if you can not entirely avoid, you can, at 
least, shorten or lessen. Can you not give up many 
useless and unnecessary conversations, which waste 
time and kill the spirit? — " Where there are many 
words spoken, there is little spirit," says St. Ignatius. 
" In silence and hope you will preserve your soul," 
says the Holy Ghost. — There was once a great ser- 
vant of God in the Netherlands, Rudolph by name, 
who kept the most profound silence for sixteen years. 
One day a fire broke out in the town where he lived 
and spread rapidly. The despairing inhabitants ran 
to the man of God, who enjoyed the reputation of 
sanctity, conjuring him in the most moving terms, 
to break his silence for love of them, and command 
the fire to stop. The man of God was touched by 
their entreaties, went to the scene of conflagation 
and spoke only these two words : " Fire, stop." 
Immediately the flames ceased and the city was 
saved. The more retired you live, occupied only 
with God and your duty, avoiding by strict silence 
all sinful and useless words, the more strength will 
your admonitions have, O father, and the greater 
will be the blessing of your words, O mother, and 
the greater will be the efficacy of your prayer, O 
Christian ; similar to that single word : " Let there 



THE CORN-FLOWER. 



69 



be," and heaven and earth were called into exist- 
ence ; similar to that other word, " I am He/' 1 and 
all the enemies of the Lord fell as dead to the ground. 

The Corn-Flower Grows in Grain-Fields ; 
namely, in rye and wheat fields. From wheat is 
prepared that bread of grace, which through the 
Divine Word : " This is my Body," 2 is changed 
into the Body of our Lord, and becomes the food 
of our souls. Do I need to exhort you, Dear 
Christians, to receive, in Holy Communion, Him, 
whom Mary bore and nourished at her bosom? 
By so doing you will be acting in accordance with 
the desire of Holy Church, and gain the indul- 
gences, which she has attached to a zealous attend- 
ance at May Devotion. You can prepare no greater 
joy for Mary; and as there is no more intimate 
union with Jesus than in Holy Communion, so there 
is no more intimate communication with Mary than 
through Jesus, whom you receive. He is flesh of 
her flesh, blood of her blood, bone of her bone. 

The Corn-flower springs up, although the hus- 
bandman sows but rye or wheat. Each year, a 
great number of these beautiful flowers rejoices his 
eye, and serves to decorate his house. This signi- 
fies, that, if you but follow Jesus by faithfully and 
conscientiously fulfilling the duties of your state and 
calling, the joys thereof will come of themselves; 
for the Lord w T ill grant you consolation and peace. 



iJohn, XVIII, 5. 



2 Luke, XXII, 19. 



70 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



"The hand of the Lord is a fruitful field; that 
which one gives, he receives again a hundredfold," 
says St. Ignatius. The world is a thornbush, on 
which only one rose blooms;— the consolation of 
faithfully fulfilled duties. All other joys vanish ; 
but this joy and consolation continues to the end 
of life ! Yes, it endures beyond the grave, for in 
Heaven, it is changed into eternal consolation. 

The Corn- Flower is Blue ; blue is the color 
of Mary's mantle, and therefore, should remind us 
of the Mother of God. It is impossible to mention 
a time, in which Mary was not a faithful imitator 
of her Divine Son. Holy Writ says of her : "She 
kept all these words in her heart." 1 St. Anselm 
says: "As among all created beings Mary is the 
most glorious, so was she likewise the most perfect 
imitator and most faithful follower of Christ Jesus." 
Therefore, if we love Mary, we must imitate her 
example and follow Jesus Christ. 

Blue signifies fidelity. Remember the promise you 
made on receiving the sacrament of Confirmation ; 
to remain faithful to Jesus until death ; — what else 
was it but a public profession of following Christ? 
The life of our Redeemer should be our model, 
therefore, in all our words, actions and undertak- 
ings, let us ask ourselves : How would Jesus have 
spoken and acted, or decided in this case ? Christ 
should be heard from your tongue ; Christ should 



^uke, II, 19. 



THE ORANGE-LILY. 



71 



be seen in your life ; Christ in your heart, Christ 
on your lips, as St. Peter Damian says, so that it 
may be said of us, what was said of St. Thomas of 
Villanova. u A person could better read the Gos- 
pel from the Saint, than from a book." Blue is the 
color of Heaven and signifies the reward of the faith- 
ful imitation of Jesus. Since we all wish to go to 
Heaven and be blessed forever, let us beg the most 
Blessed Virgin Mary, the heavenly Corn-flower, that 
she may obtain for us the grace, not to weary in the 
imitation of Christ, until we can rest on the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus, and her immaculate heart forever. 

To follow our Saviour, O let us endeavor 

To keep His example before our eyes ever ! 

What though the path leads through labor and pain ! 

Light is the hardship compared with the gain ! 

Let us suffer what trials and sorrows we may, 

God is all powerful, He will repay. 

O Mary ! we lift up our hands and implore ! 

Help us, oh help us ! till life's journey is o'er ! 



Tw t elfth Day. 



Let us to-day dedicate to the Mother of God a 
flower of the same name and form, as one we have 
already considered, but of a different color : A lily, 



72 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



but on account of its fiery color, called Orange-Lily. 
Its name and color are symbolical. If you desire 
to be a lily, that is, pure and undefiled, you must be 
tried by fire. The trials of life are typified by the 
Orange-Lily. Never was a creature upon earth, 
more frequently and more severely tried than Mary. 
"She, whose interior afflictions, as the holy Fathers 
say, surpassed the pains of all the martyrs." As St. 
Cunigundes once passed over red-hot iron, in like 
manner, Mary went gloriously through the fire of 
rials, and now she blooms as the most beautiful lily 
on the throne of God in the Heavenly Paradise. 
My dear Christians, as the trials of life are different, 
so also, are the temptations various which cause those 
trials. 

God Tries Us. You are amazed ! I repeat it, 
God tries us, for in the Book of Deuteronomy, Chap. 
XIII, verse 3, we read : " For the Lord your God 
trieth you, that it may appear whether you love Him 
with all your heart, and with all your soul, or no." 
Was not the tree in Paradise a trial of God for our 
first parents to test their obedience? And did not 
our Divine Saviour try His sweet Mother at the 
marriage feast in Cana when He said : " Woman, 
what is that to me and to thee ? my hour is not yet 
come." 1 Thus God tries man, in view of his sal- 
vation ; for instance, He sends a sickness to one who 
is fickle-minded, that he may become more serious 



1 John, II, 4. 



THE ORANGE-LILY. 



and repent; to the proud man, He sends humili- 
ations, that he may be made sensible of his arrogance. 
Again, He takes possessions from the rich man, by 
fire, to wean him from attachment to earthly things ; 
or He takes from the happy man a dear member of 
his family, that in prosperity he may not forget his 
eternal salvation, but think of death. But, alas ! 
only the smaller number stand the proof of these 
trials sent by a merciful God, to test their virtue ; 
whilst, over the remaining number of Christians, the 
Lord could shed tears, as He once did over the city 
of Jerusalem and say : " If thou also hadst known, 
and that in this thy day, the things that are for thy 
peace : but now they are hidden from thy eyes." 1 
The second tempter of man is that one whom 
Holy Writ calls a seducer and liar from the be- 
ginning ; the crafty serpent, the poisonous dragon, 
the fallen angel, called Satan or the Devil. Con- 
sider, dear Christians, how our Divine Saviour 
fortified himself in public life by fasting and praying 
forty days, and at the end of this time, how the devil 
presented himself before our Lord, and tried to 
bring about His fall by temptations to sensuality and 
pride • think of this and you will not be astonished 
that St. Paul gives this admonition to the Ephesians : 
" Wherefore take unto you the armor of God, that 
you may be able to resist in the evil day." 2 St. 
Peter says: u Be sober and watch, because your 



iLuke, XIX, 42. 



2 Eph., VI, 13. 



74 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



adversary, the devil, goes about, as a roaring lion, 
seeking whom he may devour/' 1 God tries us for 
our salvation, but the devil always tempts us unto 
destruction ; he provokes us to transgress the Divine 
precepts, and to neglect our duties. We are ad- 
monished to stand firm, and conscientiously apply 
the means, which the spiritual doctors recommend 
in such combats. 

God beholds you in this temptation, and legions 
of angels are ready to assist you ; you wrestle for 
the honor of God ; and God will not forsake you, 
you may rest assured. This thought will inspire 
you with courage. God will never permit you to 
to be tempted above your strength. No temptation 
of the devil is so great, that it cannot be overcome ; 
as temptation increases, grace also increases; and if 
God is with us, who shall be against us ? Virtue is 
something exalted, therefore it must be bought at a 
high price. 

Be always employed, and you will not hear the 
voice of the tempter. An active man is tempted 
by one devil only, whilst the idler is tempted by a 
thousand. Try to know yourself rightly ! If a 
man wishes to strike fire from a flint, he- looks 
carefully where the sharpest side is, because there 
he can get fire the soonest. Thus, also, the cunning 
enemy acts ; he seeks to find the weak side of a 
man, and there he makes his attacks. Everything, 

1 Peter, V, 8. 



THE ORANGE-LILY. 



75 



therefore, depends upon your being able to keep your- 
self firm, and to defend yourself properly in that 
point. But the universal remedy against the temp- 
tations of the devil is prayer ; because, through it, we 
uuite ourselves with God, who is invincible. " Watch 
ye and pray, that ye enter not into temptation." 1 
The World also Tempts Man in accordance 
with its riches, pleasures and honors, and is, indeed, 
nothing else for us but a place of trial ! because it 
is cursed by God, and in consequence bears for 
us thorns and thistles. These thorns and thistles 
are its temptations, attractions and snares into 
which it entices men to their destruction. Its 
most subtle poison is attachment to it. Alas ! how 
many noble Christian souls perish through this 
love ; charmed by its attractions ; allured by its 
gold and silver, and intoxicated by its pleasures ; 
such persons forget eternity, neglect their souPs 
salvation, and are lost ! — -Again; how many men 
does it send abroad to tempt their fellow-men to 
evil by bad maxims, by bad example, by seduc- 
tions in different ways ! If God were pleased to 
open our eyes, as he once did those of St. Anthony, 
we would behold the whole world full of hidden 
snares, and we would cry out with that Saint : 
"Who, O Lord, shall escape all these snares?" 
Therefore it is that so many souls are lost. " Out 
of ten ships sailing on the ocean," says St. Bernard, 

1 Mark, XIV, 38. 



76 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



" scarcely one is lost, but out of ten souls floating 
upon the ocean of this life, scarcely one is saved ! " 
Yes, this Saint is right when he says, that, if in this 
life, no hope of a future life remained, the world 
could hardly be distinguished from hell. Herein 
lies the most powerful means to resist the tempta- 
tions of the world. Let us raise our eyes to Heaven ; 
then the beauty of the world will not charm us ; let 
us raise our heart to Heaven, then all creatures will 
not fetter us. " Oh ! how the world disgusts me 
when I contemplate Heaven ! " says St. Ignatius. 

But There is Yet Another to Test Us, 
whose trials like those from the Lord are for the 
salvation of our souls. It is none other than that 
oft-tried and greatest sufferer, Mary ! The Blessed 
Virgin knows how gloriously the sun of eternal 
light shines after the dark night of trials; how 
strong love becomes by passing through the fire of 
temptations; she, therefore, tests our love, our 
devotion and our confidence, by different proofs. 
Perhaps, you know a great sinner, upon whom 
nothing makes an impression, and for whom no one 
cares : If so, you know that Mary is the " Refuge 
of sinners ; " now will you stand the test to pray 
for the erring one or not ?- — There is a forlorn sick 
person ; nobody cares for him ; in your heart you 
hear the voice : " Oh ! what joy could I give the 
motherly heart of Mary." Will you stand the test 
or not ? Again, it is a most beautiful and lovely 
day in May, and all nature seems to call you out in 



THE ORANGE-LILY. 



77 



the open air to partake of its beauty ; but hearken ! 
the bells for May-Devotions are heard in the midst 
of this loveliness and enticement. Will you respond 
to its call and rejoice the heart of Mary ? — A very 
poor person asks for an alms ; you yourselves have 
not much, and have already given a considerable 
amount ; will you rejoice the heart of Mary by still 
giving something to the petitioning one? 

The author of the Times of Pope Leo X, relates 
the following narrative : Charles Dolce was the 
youngest child of poor, but industrious parents, 
who lived in Sienna in Italy. His parents could 
not give him anything but a thorough Christian 
education ; this implanted in his young heart an 
especial love toward Mary. Thus he grew up to 
manhood earning his frugal living by drawing. 
One day he came to Florence and passing through 
the streets of that great city, he met an old beggar, 
who asked him in the name of the Mother of God 
for an alms. Deeply moved, he reached in his 
pocket and found a single piece of money. He 
hesitated whether he should give it away or not, 
because it was his last coin : " He asked me in the 
name of Mary," he said to himself, " and I cannot 
refuse her anything, therefore I give it with joy, 
even if I should now starve." Then he entered a 
church near by and penetrated with a feeling of 
holy joy, because he had shown his love to Mary 
by such a trying sacrifice, he knelt down before the 
altar of the Mother of God, shedding tears of joy. 



78 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



It happened that at the time the ceiling of the 
church was undergoing repairs by the principal 
painters of Italy. Their master Domenico Giotti 
was sitting high up on the scaffold, from which 
place he saw the young man, whose devotion 
pleased him : he descended and spoke to him, took 
him and taught him the art of painting. Charles 
succeeded so well that he became the first artist and 
greatest painter of his time ; he was especially skilful 
in painting pictures of the Blessed Virgin, Mother of 
God, whom he represented with a majesty, grace- 
fulness, and heavenly grandeur that ravished the 
beholders, and even yet his pictures command the 
highest prices. 

O Mary, obtain for us the grace to apply your 
tests and those of God for our sanctification ! help 
us to resist courageously the temptations of the 
devil and the world, that we may become purified 
through th^se trials, and that we may be found like 
lilies, pure and stainless on the day of judgment. 

The Orange-Lily warns us 

Of the tempter to beware, 
As it is his wicked pleasure 

For our souls to lay a snare. 

The Orange-Lily tells us 

From the world's false charms to flee, 
For if we hearken to its voice, 

Our souls shall ruined be. 



THE EVERGREEN. 



79 



The Orange-Lily whispers 
That Mary and her Son 

Would fain by trials prove us 
Ere yet our race is run. 

O Lord, in all temptations, 
Grant us thy saving grace ! 

That our souls come forth as lilies, 
Then we shall see thy face ! 



Thirteenth Day. 

Zbc Evergreen* 

Proudly rolled the red waves of the Sea of 
Tiberias ; majestically loomed up the mountains of 
Galilee, their green tops now lightly covered with 
snow, when Joachim and Anna brought their be- 
loved child Mary to Jerusalem and offered her to 
God in the temple. There she spent the morning 
of her life ; there she prayed for her parents, — for 
that father whose slightest wish she obeyed, and for 
the mother who had borne her. In the morning when 
the rays of the sun gilded the remote mountains of 
Arabia, and in the evening when the trumpets of 
the priests resounded from the pinnacle of the temple, 
her petitions went up for them. After a few years 
Mary lost her dear parents ; w r eeping but peaceful, 



80 



FLOWERS OF MAEY. 



she stood at their death-bed, for no reproach troubled 
her heart ; indeed, in her heart dwelt a virtue, which 
she never violated in her whole life ; namely, the 
virtue of filial love. 

To-day let us reflect on this virtue in its emblem 
the Evergreen. 

The Evergreen climbs up on walls and old build- 
ings and clings fast to them. Thus should the heart 
of the child cling close to the heart of its parent in 
faithful love. When missionaries went to convert 
the savages of Western Oceanica, they found that 
the greater number had lost fingers and some even 
a hand. Astonished at this, they inquired the cause 
and learned that these were all sacrifices of filial love. 
When these poor heathens see a father or mother in 
danger of death, they cut off a finger without delay ; 
if the sick parent does not recover after this first 
sacrifice, they mutilate themselves anew, and cut off 
at each new danger another member, so that they 
gradually cut off all the fingers, and finally even the 
hand. And these, dearly beloved, are savages; if 
filial love is so great in nations taught only by 
nature, how great and strong should it be in you, 
O Christians, who are taught by faith, to love your 
parents ! Filial love is taught you by our holy 
religion. God himself commands you to honor your 
father and mother. Holy Scripture admonishes you 
of this duty in numerous passages. It is impossible 
to resist so many arguments, the more so, as even a 
glance at the animals incites to filial love ; some of 



THE EVERGREEN. 



81 



them provide for their old ones with a love which 
often moves us to tears. And does not reason urge 
you with irresistible force to love your parents ? — 
Count, if you can, the pains, tears and cares which 
you cost your mother in early life; count, if you 
can, all the troubles and fatigues of your father 
until he raised you thus far ; his sleepless nights ; 
his sorrowful days, his many privations endured for 
your sake. Consider also the example of Jesus 
Christ, how He loved His earthly parents, Mary and 
Joseph ! Shall this not animate you to practice 
filial love ? 

The Evergreen bears blue blossoms. Blue is the 
color of the heavens, and Heaven is our eternal 
reward. Thus filial love is rewarded by an earthly 
and a heavenly blessing ; for to no other command- 
ment is promised any temporal blessing, except the 
fourth : " Honor thy father and thy mother that 
thou mayst long live upon the earth and that it may 
be well with thee." On the other hand, neither is 
the violation of any other commandment succeeded 
by so prompt a punishment. " The father's blessing 
establisheth the houses of the children," says Holy 
Scripture, "but the mother's curse rooteth up the 
foundation." 1 If you^ disobey your parents in an 
important matter ; if you cause them great affliction 
in a point concerning your salvation, making them 
shed tears, you commit each time a mortal sin. But 



^ccl., HI, 11. 
6 



82 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



this is not all. This sin draws down upon you, as 
no other one does, the curse of God, which is pro- 
nounced in more than thirty passages in Holy Writ. 
Cursed is the food which nourishes you; cursed is 
the beverage which you drink ; cursed is the house 
wherein you dwell ; cursed is the work which you 
do ; cursed is the child which you beget ; cursed are 
your children's children. St. Augustine says : " If 
there is anything like a second original sin, it is a 
sin against the fourth commandment; for it propa- 
gates its fearful consequences from generation to 
generation." Upon earth you shall never more find 
peace. Ill-fortune and misery will be your daily 
bread, even though you may live in comfort, for it 
will only serve you for greater perdition. The curse 
which falls upon you is not the curse of a man, the 
curse of your parents, the curse of a priest ; but, it 
is the curse of the Omnipotent God. The same God 
who spoke, " and heaven and earth were created ; " 
the same God, who said to the soldiers : " I am He/' 
and they fell as if dead to the ground. This same 
God says : " Be cursed ! " 1 — and are you in doubt, 
whether this curse will fall upon you ? Let your 
own unfortunate heart answer. Oh ! grief of a 
father ! Oh, tears of a mother ! they will burn hot 
and deep during a whole eternity ; they will be 
glowing flames and fiery coals for you in hell ! 
— Therefore I admonish you, with the Apostle : 



1 Deut., XXVII and XXVIII. 



THE EVERGREEN. 



83 



" Children obey your parents," 1 for this love is 
followed by a two-fold reward : first, an earthly 
blessing, peace of heart. Surely there can be no 
more consoling thought in this vale of tears than 
one which makes life delightful, and death peaceful ; 
namely, never to have grieved your parents consider- 
ably ; and secondly, a heavenly blessing, eternal 
beatitude. 

The Evergreen Retains its Color, Sum- 
mer and Winter, and thus should you love your 
parents in the summer of their lives, and in the 
winter of their death, honoring the living and the 
dead with equal love. A missionary writes of the 
savages on the Rocky Mountains, that when parents 
die, the children lacerate their bodies with sharp 
knives and shells. They would consider that they 
felt, the loss very slightly if it cost them only tears ; 
therefore it must be deplored with blood, also ; and 
the deeper the cuts are the more powerful the testi- 
mony that their love is sincere. They say that deep 
grief can be assuaged only by deep wounds. Dear 
Christians, these are savages, infidels, heathens, and 
how great is their grief ! What then should be our 
sorrow when our parents die, and how true our love 
for the departed? You, who have already buried 
your parents, did you not deplore their death with 
bitter tears, which St. Augustine calls the blood of 
the soul ; did their loss not deeply afflict your 

l Eph., VI, 1. 



84 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



heart? Certainly, but now it is all gone, passed 
away ! How ! What can give me the courage to 
say so hard a word ; to make such a bitter reproach ? 
How has it been with you, who have stood by the 
death-bed of your dear parents? Did father or 
mother not tell you something before they departed 
this life, did not their dying eyes, although their 
lips were too feeble to utter it, tell you to lay some- 
thing to heart ; did they not, if you were absent 
from their death-bed send some last message to 
you ? Did they not earnestly admonish you to be 
pious and good ; to love God and avoid sin ; and 
ever faithfully to walk in the path of virtue ? — How 
many, alas ! how many have forgotten it. If to- 
day many parents would rise from their graves, and 
behold the child, who instead of fulfilling their last 
wishes, lives in sin, how quickly would they return 
to their graves, regretting the love which they had 
for that child, and recalling the blessing which they 
gave it on their death -bed ! Oh ! that I could 
gather the dust, the ashes, the bleached bones of 
your parents and could place them before your eyes, 
and strew them in that path of fickleness and sin, on 
which you walk ! Perhaps, this dreadful decora- 
tion would deter you from sin, and recall to your 
memory the last will of your parents and confirm 
anew your love towards them. 

O most Blessed Virgin Mary ! thou glorious 
example of filial love, cause the Evergreen flower 
to bloom in our hearts, so that we may always love 



THE PINK. 



85 



and obey our parents, bear their faults patiently, 
support them in their weakness and old age, pray 
for them when they die, and faithfully comply with 
their last wishes ; let us honor them still, while their 
bodies are resting in the silent tomb, by leading a 
Christian and virtuous life ; and doing this, we may 
hope to be reunited with them in that peaceful and 
blissful home beyond the grave, and with them be 
eternally happy. 

Mary, childhood's model dear, 
Teach young hearts true filial fear ; 
Teach them to obey like thee 
That Christians true they e'er may be. 
That God's word they may revere 
And with reverence ever hear. 
In their hearts may there be seen 
True filial love, bright Evergreen. 



Fourteenth Day. 

Gbe flMnfe, 

It is not easy to find a flower more easily culti- 
vated than the Pink ; it suffers itself to be trans- 
planted in the cold earth, as well as in flower-pots ; 
it fills our gardens and rooms with a delicious per- 
fume ; and for this reason we can take it as the 



86 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



emblem of gratitude, a virtue which ought to 
bloom continually in every Christian heart. Our 
Lord praised the Samaritan whom He had healed 
of leprosy, when he returned to thank his Bene- 
factor for the great favor bestowed upon him : 
" Go," said our Lord, " for thy faith hath made 
thee whole!" 1 " Nothing is so pleasing to God," 
says St. John Chrysostom, "as a grateful soul; 
nothing brings man closer to God than gratitude." 
This is, therefore, the strongest armor, the greatest 
wealth, the most inexhaustible treasure. But how 
many Christians are there, of whom the Lord could 
complain in the words of the Prophet : u What 
shall I do to thee, O Ephraim, what shall I do to 
thee, O Juda? Your mercy is as a morning cloud, 
and as the dew that goeth away in the morning ! " 2 
That we may not deserve this reproach, let us con- 
sider the virtue of Gratitude in the symbolic Pink. 

The Pink is often of a Reddish Color, 
reminding us of the Precious Blood shed by our 
dearest Saviour on the Cross. We can have no 
stronger motive for gratitude, than Jesus bleeding 
and dying for us. Whosoever considers this obla- 
tion and feels no gratitude for it in his soul, should 
have his name blotted out from the baptismal record, 
for he no longer deserves the name of Christian. 
" To Jesus belongs your soul," says St. Hildebert, 
"for He gave His for it. To Him belongs your 



1 Luke, XVII, 19. 



2 Osee, VI, 4. 



THE PINK. 



87 



body, for He immolated His body for it. Take 
heed now and see what He demands of your body 
and of your soul. Love Him with your whole 
heart, and you give Him what He requires of 
your soul ; make yourself like His members and 
you render what He requires of your body. His 
eyes were dim in death, that your eyes might turn 
away from vanity. His ears were open to blasphe- 
mies and revilings, that your ears might be open 
to the supplications of the poor. His arms were 
extended, and His feet nailed to the Cross, that your 
arms and feet might be confirmed in the fear of the 
Lord. Behold, then, what will please God in you ! 
behold the end for which He suffered for you ! — 
Acknowledge the gratitude He demands of you ! " 

The Pink Exhales the Most Exquisite 
Odoe. This represents the perfume of the gifts of 
God's grace to us, and to which our hearts should 
correspond by exhaling the sweet order of virtues, 
particularly that of gratitude. As often as you make 
the sign of the cross, you recall the three greatest 
graces of the Lord, for which your gratitude should 
not cease during life. In the name of the Father, who 
created me, in the name of the Son, who redeemed me, 
in the name of the Holy Ghost who sanctified me. 
But, dear Christians, did you ever in your life recite 
one Our Father in gratitude for your creation ? And 
how few are your acts of thanksgiving for the graces 
of redemption and sanctification ! — we all know what 
a fierce animal the lion is. A slave named Andro- 



88 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



clus once drew a thorn out of the paw of one of 
these lords of the desert, and, when later, he was 
exposed to be torn by wild beasts in the circus, 
that lion was among them ; and now see the grati- 
tude of an animal ; the lion laid himself down 
before Androclus, and neither harmed him, nor 
suffered him to be harmed by others. The conse- 
quences of it were that both man and beast were 
set at liberty, and were publicly led through the 
streets of Rome in triumph. 

The Pink blooms in the open air, adorns the 
altar and decks the rooms ; thus should the virtue 
of gratitude be seen in you wherever you may be ; 
in the church, at home, or abroad. When St. 
Ignatius took a walk in the fields or woods, his 
soul was penetrated by so powerful a feeling of 
gratitude, that he invited the trees, flowers, and 
birds to unite with him in thanking the Almighty 
Creator. St. Francis in his sublime Song to the 
Sun, a masterpiece of religious enthusiasm and 
burning zeal, thanks God with joyful words, that 
He created the earth and everything in it so beauti- 
ful. In church especially, our prayer should be one 
of thanksgiving. Do you know why ? " Because," 
as St. Ignatius says, " each prayer of thanksgiving 
is a new petition ; it is written : Ask and you shall 
receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you." 
But in your family-circles, in your homes, you 
should, my dear Christians, especially thank God 
for all earthly benefits. O fathers and mothers of 



THE PINK. 



89 



families, say the prayers before and after meals, 
and have a watchful eye upon your children, 
domestics and subjects to see that they too per- 
form this duty to God. That enlightened Chris- 
tian, the blessed Bishop Wittman of Ratisbon, said : 
" The neglect of the common grace at meals in 
families, may very probably, be the cause of so 
many diseases now, which were formerly unknown, 
and it may also be the cause of so few temporal 
blessings in families." 

The Pink Blooms not only Single, but 
also Double; thus signifying to us that we 
should not only be grateful to God, but also to 
Mary whom, after God, we have to thank for 
everything. For has she not borne Him, without 
whom we would all have perished ; through whom 
alone, we are saved ? If we now consider this with 
the eyes of faith, we must acknowledge the truth of 
the words of St. Bernard : " After God, we owe to 
Mary the sincerest, greatest and most ardent thanks." 
And which of us, my dear Christians, if we but glance 
into our own heart and question our own experience, 
will not be penetrated with the liveliest feelings of 
gratitude towards the one, who has already heard 
so may of our prayers ; granted so many of our 
requests; rescued us from so many dangers, and 
obtained for us such an abundance of grace. 

O most blessed Virgin Mary, heavenly Pink, in thy 
glorious hymn of thanksgiving, the " Magnificat," 
thou didst offer thy gratitude to God with these 



90 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



words : " My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my 
spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour/' 1 Let our 
hearts become like unto a grateful pink. Teach us 
that gratitude, which will be pleasing to our Cruci- 
fied Saviour, and acceptable to God ; that gratitude, 
which will lead us to Heaven, and unite us to thee 
and to thy Divine Son forever. 

O Mary, heavenly Pink so fair, 

Type of gratitude most rare, 
Pray that within my heart may dwell 

Thy image which I love so well. 
Ask of God, for me, this grace 

That gratitude may find a place 
Within my stony, thankless heart, 

That once with thee I may find part. 



Fifteenth Day. 

Cbe 1Ret> IRose* 

As the widow Noemi was returning from the 
land of Moab to her own country, she came to 
Bethlehem, where all who knew her said : " This is 
Noemi." — But she said : u Call me not Noemi, that 
is beautiful, but call me Mara, which signified 
bitter, for the Almighty hath quite filled me with 
bitterness." 2 



Luke, I, 46, 47. 



2 Ruth, I, 20. 



THE RED ROSE. 



91 



In like manner, Mary speaks to us to-day, for in 
her we behold the Mother of Sorrows, the Queen of 
Martyrs : I am come into the depths of the sea and 
the storm has dashed over me, for great as the sea is 
my affliction. But, who caused this sorrow? St. 
Bernard directs us to the rose for an answer ; its 
red color signifies the blood of Christ, the thorns 
our sins, and thus is the Red Rose the emblem of 
the Dolors of Mary. 

In her twelfth year, Mary lost by death her 
beloved father Joachim ; and her dear mother St. 
Anna soon after followed him to the grave. Then, 
she was, indeed, an orphan. An orphan ! O hard 
and bitter word ! Only he who is an orphan, he 
who has stood at the death-bed of his dear parents ; 
he who has lost a father, a mother, can truly 
comprehend the desolation contained in this word, 
orphan, and the bitterness of such a condition. 

But as night vanishes, and the stars grow dim at 
the approach of sun, so these comparatively small 
sorrows of Mary's early life, flee, like shadows, 
before the great sorrows of after years. Consider 
her grief at the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, 
on a cold winter night, when she had no other bed 
for him than a little straw in a poor stable ; the 
flight into Egypt rendered trebly hard through 
fear of Herod, the roughness of the uncultivated 
country, and the duration and hardships of the 
journey. Consider her delay in a foreign country, 
far away from home, and all that are dear to her, 



92 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



with a strange people. All this was nothing but a 
shadow, a thought, a dream, in comparison with her 
sufferings on Calvary, which are typified by the 
Red Rose. Let us draw three drops from this sea 
of sufferings, and contemplate them with a pious 
client of Mary, in the following manner : When 
Jesus, crowned with thorns and laden with a heavy 
Cross, painfully made His way down the street, 
which led to the gateway of the tribunal, a woman 
urged her way through the crowd. She was deathly 
pale ; her eyes, which from abundant weeping, were 
now tearless, gazed with inexpressible sadness at 
the terrible wounds of the Redeemer. She heard 
neither the insults of the Pharisees, nor the threats 
of the executioners, but when lances aiming at her 
breast, pressed between her and her Divine Son 
Jesus, her countenance showed such an expression 
of deep sorrow, such entire disregard for death, that 
the conquered executioners slowly lowered their 
weapons to the ground before this most holy woman. 
Although cruel, they thought of their own mothers. 
Mary then directed her gaze full of anxiety to the 
Redeemer, whose mild countenance was now swollen, 
discolored, disfigured and covered with blood and 
mire. Scarcely anything of the image of the Crea- 
tor could be seen. Most tenderly she touched His 
sacred forehead with her hand, to convince herself 
that it was really her Son. No sigh relieved her 
oppressed heart, for it seemed as though she must 
die. Jesus who observed her, raised His sacred 



THE BED ROSE. 



93 



head, bent under the weight of the Cross, saying : 
"Mother!" At this word, which sounded like a 
death-knell in the ears of the most holy Virgin ; a 
new sword of sorrow pierced her heart, and she 
could scarcely support herself ; she staggered and 
grew pale. The women of Jerusalem whispered 
one to another: "The poor mother!" Whilst on 
Mount Calvary, Jesus being raised on the Cross, 
Mary hastened thither, passing the soldiers who 
were casting lots for the robe of her dear Son. 
Deeply grieved, she thought of the time when, com- 
placent in the love of Jesus and free from cares, she, 
in the evenings by His side worked at this very festal 
garment. This thought was like a dagger wounding 
her very soul. For the gleam of by-gone happiness 
revealed the more strongly the darkness of her 
present misery. She raised her eyes to Heaven to 
obtain strength, and her gaze met that of her Cruci- 
fied God. At this frightful spectacle, she stood 
transfixed by the most poignant anguish, in 
comparison to which, all that she had hitherto suf- 
fered, seemed only a troubled dream. Everything 
vanished before the Cross. The sun concealed 
himself, the heavens grew dark, the earth trembled, 
the rocks split asunder, the graves sent forth their 
dead. Amidst all these motions of agitated nature, 
Mary stood immovable, undisturbed by all these 
terrors, with her hands folded in prayer and in 
profound contemplation of her Crucified Love. 



94 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



The women of Jerusalem again began to weep and 
say compassionately : " The poor Mother ! v 

When the body of the Lord was taken down from 
the Cross, Mary knelt on the ground, her fingers 
were stained with His most precious Blood. She 
spread the clean linen over her outstretched arms to 
receive again her Divine Son, who comes back to 
her once more, and comes back thus. The sacred 
body is, at length, lowered so far that St. John can 
receive the holy head in his arms, that it may not 
sink down helpless, and St. Mary Magdalene holds 
the sacred feet. One single moment Mary in 
speechless agony casts herself sorrowfully on her 
knees, and the next moment she receives the Sacred 
Body in her extended arms. What a meeting, what 
a return ! The Babe of Bethlehem has come back 
to its mother's bosom. She rises from her knees, 
carrying her precious burden, as easily, as she car- 
ried him on her flight into Egypt. She sits down 
upon the grass with Jesus stretched out upon her 
lap. There was not one feature of his holy counte- 
nance, not one wound on His sacred body, which 
was not to her at the same time a sorrow and an 
object of the most profound consideration. In vain 
for her did the birds trill their evening songs, after 
the depression of the solar eclipse was taken from 
their joyful little hearts. In vain for her, ascended 
in the cool spring air, the sweet scent of the tender 
fig-leaves ; and in vain the tender buds and shoots 



THE RED ROSE. 



95 



gave forth their vernal charms. Her affliction was 
beyond all consolation of nature. Her flower was 
cruelly broken and lay crushed on her lap/ the Red 
Rose^ whose thorns were our sins. " He was 
bruised for our sins," 2 says the Prophet ; and should 
not Mary, the Queen of Prophets, have known this ? 
She did know it, and she felt the sufferings of her 
Divine Son all the more keenly because we were 
the cause of them. But how, dear Christians, 
can we console this afflicted Virgin? By true 
contrition for our sins and the firm resolution 
not to commit them in future. This grace we 
will obtain, if we meditate frequently and devoutly 
on the sorrows of Mary ; for it was revealed to a 
pious soul, that the Lord would grant four special 
graces to this devotion. First, perfect contrition 
for all sins commited, some time before death : 
Second, an especial protection and assistance in 
the hour of death : Third, to have the mysteries of 
Chrises sacred Passion deeply imprinted upon the 
soul ; Fourth, the special protection of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary. 

O Rose, with thorns surrounded, 

O Rose, of a blood-red hue, 
You tell of a Man-God's Passion, 

Of a Virgin's heart pierced through. 

1 Faber : " Foot of the Cross." Chap. VII. 
2 Isai., LIII, 5. 



96 



FLOWEKS OF MARY. 



How deep that Mother's sorrow 
No human tongue can tell ! 

But 'twas our sins that pierced her, 
In the Son she loved so well. 

Let us grieve for sins committed, 
Which caused her so much pain, 

That when our lives are closing, 
She may grace for us obtain. 



Sixteenth Day. 

Gbe Xarftspur* 

Severus, a Eoman Emperor, gave to his soldiers 
this signal of war: " Laborarnus," that is, let us 
work, let us fight; and by it he illustrated that 
grand sentence of the holy sufferer Job : " The life 
of man upon earth is a warfare." 1 

If, my dear Christians, I give you an ensign 
to-day, it must be the Larkspur, for this flower is 
an emblem of combat. Hardly was the first sin 
committed, when the Almighty pronounced against 
man the sentence : " In the sweat of thy face shalt 
thou eat bread." 2 The gates of Paradise w r ere closed 
and this earth became for him a great battle-field. 



1 Job, VII, 1. 



2 Gen., Ill, 19. 



THE LARKSPUR. 



97 



Heaven must be obtained by earnest fighting, as our 
Divine Saviour says : " Not every one that saith to 
me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of 
Heaven." 1 The kingdom of Heaven suffereth vio- 
lence, and only the violent shall bear it away. Hence 
the warlike language of the Apostles : " Labor as 
a good soldier of Christ Jesus," 2 says St, Paul. 
Likewise the same Apostle says : " You have not 
yet resisted unto blood," 3 and " Take unto you the 
armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the 
evil day." The lives of all the Saints are full of 
combat. How earnestly did St. Francis of Sales 
strive until he overcame anger ! How perseveringly 
St. Ignatius fought until he conquered the impure 
spirit ! How many prayers, fasts, and vigils did it 
require of a St. Francis to win Heaven for himself ! 
How did St. Aloysius struggle in the bloom of youth 
to preserve his innocence ! How did St. Alphonsus 
wrestle even in his ripe old age, at the very verge of 
the grave to remain in the friendship of God ! And 
our own hearts, my dear Christians, must give testi- 
mony to this truth, by the constant struggle which 
is taking place within their secret chambers. Is it 
easy to keep oneself pure and unstained in the midst 
of the world, surrounded by a thousand temptations 
and dangerous occasions? No, here it costs con- 
tests, — contests with our own heart and contests with 
the hearts of others. Combats with our eyes and 

1 Math., VII, 21. 2 Tim., II, 3. 3 Heb., XII, 4. 

7 



98 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



ears ; combats in youth and in old age ; combats in 
the morning and in the evening ; combats every day, 
every hour, every moment of our lives until the 
prayer : " Eternal rest give unto him, O Lord ; and 
let perpetual light shine upon him/' is recited over 
our dead body. 

"A man's enemies shall be they of his own 
household,'' 1 says Holy Writ ; but as St. Ambrose 
says : " Our domestic foe is our corrupt nature." 
God's curse upon the earth: "Thorns and thistles 
shall it bring forth to thee/' 2 has also extended to 
the earth of our soul ; and therefore, this life is a 
constant eradicating of weeds, a perpetual pruning 
of thorns and thistles. Our corrupt nature is our 
enemy, because it is within ourselves. If an enemy 
attacks me from without, I can escape, I can flee ; 
but from a morbid matter of disease within myself, 
I cannot escape. Our corrupt nature is an enemy, 
because it abides with us. If we have a personal 
enemy we may console ourselves, that perhaps he 
will make a journey or move far away from us, or 
that we may be freed from him by death ; but this 
internal foe never leaves us, never travels far off, 
nor does it die before us. Our corrupt nature is a 
foe, because it never becomes reconciled to us. If 
we have a personal enemy we may make peace with 
him, but our own domestic enemy is implacable ; 
ever assailing us, in youth, in maturer years, and in 

^ath., X, 36. a Gen., Ill, 18. 



THE LARKSPUR. 



99 



old age ; in health, in sickness, before and after 
conversion, in every place, in every state of life, in 
every age, and in every clime we find this tireless 
combatant. 

Against this enemy there is no other expedient 
than combat, a life-long, continual strife, which will 
end only with our parting sigh. What weapons 
shall we make use of in fighting against this domes- 
tic foe, corrupt nature? My beloved, our armor 
shall be holy fear and zeal ; of the former Holy 
Writ says : " No evils shall happen to him that 
feareth the Lord : but in temptation God will keep 
him, and deliver him from evils." 1 We must fear 
our own evil nature, because we are not sure for one 
moment, that it will not cause us to fall. Let not 
your conversion, your good conduct, your piety de- 
ceive you. Whosoever stands, let him beware lest 
he fall. Man as long as he lives is like a heap of 
burning coals covered with ashes ; if a gust of wind 
comes and blows the ashes away the fire will be re- 
kindled ; he is like a convalescent, who is, indeed, 
cured of his malady, but always feels the conse- 
quences of it. Therefore, fight continually with the 
shield of holy fear, if you wish to gain the victory. 
This holy fear is not a disgrace, but a great virtue, 
for is it not praiseworthy to fear to offend the best 
of friends, our Lord and our God ? That is true 
filial love, which fears to offend or grieve the most 



^ccl., XXXIII, 1, 



100 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



tender of fathers. St. Paul admonishes us in these 
words: "Work out your salvation in fear and 
trembling," 1 

The second weapon is zeal. If you perceive that 
your corrupt nature draws you again to your former 
mode of life ; that you grow lukewarm, fickle and 
slothful, then you must commence with new vigor, 
with new courage to animate yourself, or else you 
will be lost. Seize the weapon, zeal, and in your 
morning prayers daily address yourself, as that 
valiant captain addressed his soldiers : " Forward, 
forward ! do you see that beautiful city? It shall 
be ours. Perhaps, this is our last battle ; therefore, 
be not discouraged ! Forward ! Forward ! " 

During the day we should frequently renew our 
good intentions. Every year the swallows return, 
every spring the flowers reappear, and every day the 
sun rises anew, and we, also, should strengthen 
ourselves every day, and every hour in the day, by 
renewing our good resolutions. Therefore, pray 
dear Christians, pray or you will be lost. To-day, 
perhaps, you omit one Our Father, to-morrow two, 
the next day three, the following day half of your 
prayer is neglected, and next week the entire prayer 
is omitted, and very soon you wall not pray at all. 
So here we see the evil which springs from neglecting 
any part of our daily prayers. A soul without 
prayer is also without love for God, without fear or 



1 Philip., II, 12. 



THE LARKSPUR. 



101 



grace, without the blessing of God. Let us take 
warning then in time, lest we fall into such a pitiable 
state, by the omission of prayer. Should you grow 
weary in the combat, O cast a glance upon our glorious 
Model, Jesus Christ on Mount Olivet, who did not 
cease praying although His soul was sorrowful even 
unto death ! Look at Mary whose whole life was 
one of combat ; consider the martyrs, how cour- 
ageously they fought for the salvation of their souls ! 

In the year 1456, Mohamed, the Turkish Em- 
peror, invaded Hungary; he advanced with one 
hundred and fifty thousand warriors to the city of 
Belgrade and besieged it. On the feast of St. Mary 
Magdalene the assault commenced, and continued 
twenty hours without intermission, until at last the 
Christians were so fatigued, that they relaxed in their 
efforts, and the Turks in crowds were entering the 
city shouting : " Victory ! " But at this moment 
St. John Capistran, who accompanied the Christian 
army, seeing this, took a crucifix in his hands, 
showed it to the Christians, and cried out in a loud 
voice : O my God, deliver Thy people, whom thou 
hast redeemed by Thy precious Blood ; assist us, that 
the Turks may not say : 6 Where is the God of 
the Christians Upon hearing these words new 
courage animated the Christians, and they drove the 
Turks from the city, pursued them eight miles, and 
totally conquered them. Thus do you also, my dear 
Christians, take new courage in the word of God 
spoken to you by my lips, for the conquest which 



102 



FLO WEES OF MARY. 



will last during your whole life. Heaven, the aim 
of our daily contests, will repay us for all the 
sufferings endured. O most holy Virgin, grant us, 
we pray thee, for our ensign in combat, the flower, 
Larkspur, and permit not our hearts to relax in the 
valiant contest ! 

Man's life on earth's a warfare 
From the cradle to the grave, 
And he who longs for victory 
Must battle like the brave. 

Let Larkspur be our emblem 

And God our battle cry ! 
We'll make no truce with evil, 

But fight it till we die ! 



Seventeenth Day. 

Zhc Hlpine IRoee* 

If you should ever visit Tyrol you would see the 
Bavarian Mountains, the Tyrolese and Salzburg 
Alps, a very high range, covered with perpetual snow 
and ice. On the sides of these mountains are rich 
meadows in which cattle graze. Their snow-capped 
peaks present a grand sight when tinged with the 
rays of the rising or setting sun. 



THE ALPINE ROSE. 



103 



My dear Christians, let me lead you to-day in 
thought, up these mountains, over moss-grown rocks 
and stones, across green fields and meadows, past 
herds of cattle, and the cottages of the herdsmen. 
Let us ascend higher and higher, so that the houses 
in the valley below almost vanish from our sight, 
for I wish to show you a flower which blooms only 
there in solitude, far away from men, so near to 
heaven. This flower is the Eose of the Alps. It 
is a marvelous and beautiful flower ; its color is the 
richest red, and its lovely green leaves are as soft 
as velvet. It is never found on the plains or on 
low ground, but always on mountains, and the 
higher it grows, the sweeter is its odor ; it blooms 
only for a season and is often found amid ice and 
snow. It is much esteemed on account of its rarity 
and beauty, and hunters consider it a good omen if 
they find one. 

Heretofore we dedicated to the Mother of God 
flowers easily obtained and which bloom in our own 
gardens ; but to-day we will exert ourselves, and 
search on the highest mountain-top for the Alpine 
Rose, that we may bring it down and offer it to the 
Queen of Heaven. 

As a stranger passing over the Alps rejoices when 
he finds this flower, on account of its great beauty 
and fragrance, and then counts as nothing all his 
toil and searching, because he has the object sought 
for, so we, too, dear Christians, will rejoice, when 
we shall have obtained that virtue typified by the 



104 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



Alpine Rose ; namely, the virtue of contemplation ; 
for enraptured with its charming beauty we will 
forget all trials and difficulties endured in its acqui- 
sition. 

The Alpine Rose is the emblem of meditation, 
because it blossoms only on the highest mountain- 
tops and in solitude, quite near to heaven. The 
heart of the contemplative man, in like manner, 
must soar up to God. When he wishes to meditate 
he goes away from the tumult of men ; we may find 
him in the solitude of his own room, at the foot of 
the crucifix, in the open air, or in the holy sanctuary 
of some church before the tabernacle of the living 
God. And as this sweet plant often blooms amid 
snow and ice, so neither misfortune nor trouble of 
any kind ; neither children nor temporal business ; 
neither sickness nor earthly cares should be a hin- 
drance to meditation. 

Then love, dear Christian, the Alpine Rose, love 
meditation, which is nothing else than a prolonged 
consideration of the salvation of our soul, a serious 
reflection on Divine truths. Meditation is so neces- 
sary that St. Aloysius says : " without it we will 
not advance far in virtue ; ,; and Sts. Ignatius and 
Alphonsus even said that : " without meditation it 
is impossible to be saved." And now, my dear 
friends, I submit the question to yourselves. If men 
would always think of sin and its terrible conse- 
quences, and have continually in mind the value of 
their immortal souls, have death with its terrors 



THE ALPINE ROSE. 



105 



always in view, bell with its unquenchable flames, 
and often contemplate Heaven with its inexpressible 
joys, would there be so much murder, injustice and 
adultery, so much cursing and unchaste language 
spoken, so many sinful companions and frequenting 
dancing rooms ? No, for the words of Eternal Truth 
are everlasting : " Remember thy last end ; and thou 
shalt never sin." 1 Rightly spoken, therefore, are 
the words of those great Saints of the holy Church, 
that meditation is indispensably necessary for attain- 
ing salvation; and holy King David says in his 
psalms : " Unless thy law had been my meditation, 
I had then been perhaps perished in my abjection." 2 
Meditation is something beautiful. Consider 
Mary, who in this virtue, as in all others, is our 
model. Meditation was her constant nourishment ; 
and the temple at Jerusalem, the crib at Bethlehem, 
the parental house and the dwelling at Nazareth and 
Hieropolis, the city in Egypt, and Ephesus whither 
she went with St. John and Mary Magdalene, were 
witnesses to her interior prayer. St. Ambrose says : 
" There was never a soul gifted so highly in this 
heavenly virtue, as the beautiful soul of Mary. 
Her mind and heart were united in contemplating 
Him whom she loved more than all the Seraphim 
together. Her whole life was a continual exercise 
of the purest love of God, and even while she slept 
her heart watched and prayed." 



1 Eccl., VII, 40. 



2 Ps. CXVIII, 92. 



106 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



How greatly a fountain increases the beauty of a 
garden ; around it everything looks fresh and green, 
which before appeared desolate ; now, all the plants 
and flowers flourish because they are watered by its 
cooling drops. St. Francis of Sales says : " What a 
fountain is to a garden, meditation is to the soul, for 
it beautifies your words and actions/' I once beheld 
Mary Moerl, a Tyrolese virgin in contemplation, and 
I can never forget the impression it made upon me. 
She was dressed in pure white, her hair unbound, 
her hands folded, and her eyes were immovably 
fixed on heaven ; she knelt on her bed, but so lightly 
that no impression whatever was made upon her 
cushions ; she did not stir, and one had to go near, 
to hear her breathe; she was unconscious to all 
around. Peace, joy, and a holy calm seemed to 
pervade her whole being. A profound feeling of 
awe penetrated all who saw her, for the Divine 
Beauty was reflected in her soul. When near her 
one forgot all earthly cares, and would soar with her 
to the heights of Heaven, feeling no pain but that of 
his own sinfulness and strong attachment to earthly 
things, which prevented him from meditating as 
she did. The great Fenelon, Archbishop of Cambray, 
wrote to his royal pupil, the Duke of Burgoyne: 
" For the love of God let meditation nourish your 
heart as food nourishes your body. A few moments 
spent in contemplating God, refreshes man, soothes 
his passions and gives a charm to his words." 



THE ALPINE ROSE. 



107 



The Alpine Rose blooms on the summit of the 
highest mountains, and is, therefore, hard to obtain ; 
but meditation, of which it is an emblem, is easily 
acquired. You look at me, as if you did not rightly 
understand me, therefore, I repeat it, meditation 
is easy. But many of you may object, and say, how 
is that possible ; we are satisfied if we can but get 
through with our vocal prayers, as we have distrac- 
tions enough in them ; and as for meditation we 
have neither time nor ability for it. Both of these 
answers, my dear Christians, are only suggestions 
of the evil one, for just as the Philistines tore Sam- 
son's eyes out, so the devil tries to do with you ; if 
he cannot take your faith, he tries, at least, to pre- 
vent your considering that which you believe. 
Have you less time than king Alfred the Great, who 
spent daily eight hours in meditation, or less than 
the holy servant Notburga, who was the most 
industrious and active in the whole village, and 
nevertheless, meditated continually on the Eternal 
Truths. And finally, have you not Sundays and 
holy-days, free hours in the evening or morning 
which you could sanctify by this holy exercise? 
Do like St. Elisabeth who went six miles every 
morning, to the monastery of Eeinharsbrunn to assist 
at holy Mass ; she prayed the whole way, yet only 
said one Our Father, because she meditated upon 
that which she prayed. You must not think that 
it is necessary to be alone to meditate ; for can you 
not raise your mind and heart to God even while 



108 



FLO WEES OF MAKY. 



at your work ? Often recall to mind the thought 
of death, judgment, or the sacred Passion of Christ, 
the love of Mary, and of Heaven and its eternal joys. 
Yes, you will say, I might if I could, but I have 
no ability for it. That seems to me just like the old 
woman, who after a pious and well-spent life came 
to die. She joyfully awaited death ; there was only 
one thing that disquieted her. It was that she did 
not know what to say when she would enter Heaven. 
So she asked her confessor : " What shall I say when 
I enter the Heavenly Court ? " The priest deeply 
moved at her childlike simplicity, said : " Dear 
child, only say : Praised be Jesus Christ ! And the 
whole Heavenly Choir will answer, forevermore ! " 

Believe me, my dear Christians, you need not be 
learned to make a good meditation. If you cannot 
even read or write you can meditate, since it only 
requires of you to think seriously on the subject of 
your meditation, and then listen attentively to what 
your heart says. 

St. Francis of Assissi meditated his whole life on 
these words : " My God and my all ! " St. Cath- 
erine of Genoa made use of a less number ; namely, 
"Thou and II" and St. Magdalene of Pazzi, of 
only the one word, " Love !" St. Teresa made use 
of two words; namely, "One soul!" — And what 
is nature but a large book for meditation ? Behold 
the sun, the beautiful verdure and lovely flowers, 
the refreshing rain and the dews of early morn ! O 
what a grand subject is this, by which the soul is 



THE ALPINE ROSE. 



109 



elevated to God, for who can behold anything beau- 
tiful without giving a thought to Him who made it 
so ; now then is there, can there be anything more 
• beautiful than this vast universe with all its loveli- 
ness, by means of which the soul can be elevated to 
God ! No, no, for nature is the most sublime book 
of all earth's beauties, and vividly portrays the hand 
of its Creator. Have you ever heard of that hermit, 
who, although he could not read, yet meditated 
every morning and evening ; and for this duty, 
made use of a book which contained only four 
leaves; one of these leaves was white and signified 
to him innocence, its value and its loss ; one was 
red which represented to him the red-hot flames of 
hell ; one was black which reminded him of death 
and all its terrors ; the other was yellow which 
signified to him the golden crown of eternal glory. 

Such, dear Christians, is the virtue of meditation, 
whose emblem is the Alpine Rose ; this is the virtue 
which is so necessary, so beautiful and so easily 
practiced ; cherish it, therefore, and to-day make a 
firm resolution to live more recollectedly so as to 
have continually in view your eternal salvation. Let 
this resolution, my dear Christians, be the beautiful 
Alpine Rose with which you cheerfully adorn our 
Lady's altar to-day. 

Accept, O Mary, this Alpine Rose, 
That grew amid the mountain snows ; 

Pray, offer it to thy Son Divine 
And may His love my soul refine ! 



110 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



Eighteenth Day. 

ftbe aster. 

Yesterday we brought down a flower from the 
highest mountain-top, and to-day, dear Christians, 
we will search for one on the graves of the departed, 
symbolizing decay. The Aster or Star-flower is 
very pretty, having a large yellow disk encircled 
with many little bluish-red or lilac-colored leaves. 
It is an odorless autumnal flower which blooms till 
November and is much used on All Souls day for 
wreaths and decorations for the graves. 

This scentless fall-flower, this sad color and this 
tribute to the departed, is the emblem of decay. 
And would, dear Christians, that these flowers 
adorned all your streets and path-ways in order to 
remind you of the vanity of all earthly things. 
Would that they might unceasingly cry out to you : 
"All must perish. We bloom in autumn, and for 
every one of you the autumn of life will come, the 
harvest-time when the fruit of your labors will be 
made manifest to the whole world in the valley of 
Josephat. We bloom on graves, and for you also 
the last hour is drawing nigh, death is approaching, 
and we will soon be used to decorate your grave, 
while your lifeless body beneath is returning to its 
original nothingness." Let these thoughts, my dearly 
beloved, sink deep into your hearts, for soon, very soon, 
for you all the joys of earth will have passed forever ! 



THE ASTER. 



Ill 



" In this life," says St. Augustine, " there are no 
true earthly joys, for there are only two kinds : sin- 
ful joys and those which are innocent and harmless ; 
the first are false, the second are short-lived. There- 
fore, dearly beloved, the holy Church is right when 
she says in one of her grand prayers : " Let our 
hearts, even amidst the change of perishable things, 
hold fast to that alone in which true joys are found : 
namely, Heaven." — It happened once, that a woman 
living in the city of Antioch, cursed her children, 
and forthwith they began to shake and tremble and 
finally died. Now this was the curse of an earthly 
mother, and see its effect ; but what shall be the 
effect of the Divine curse on the earth : " Cursed be 
the earth, thorns and thistles shall it bring forth," 1 
and you, — you wish to have nothing but roses, roses 
of joy from the cursed earth, which is your place of 
exile, — your place of probation ! Was not your 
first entrance into this world echoed by a cry of pain 
and distress? was not this a clear proof that you 
had entered a vale of tears? Upon this earth joys 
have never been and never will be found. " He is 
the greatest of fools," says St. Peter of Alcantara, 
" who seeks pleasure in this world ; he is a simple- 
ton who would ask of a beggar to lend him a 
thousand dollars, and he is also a simpleton who 
would ask mercy of the devil." The joys of this 
world are like Sodom's apples, beautiful to look at, 



^en., Ill, 17, 18. 



112 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



but within are nothing but rottenness and worms, 
Earthly joys are dreams of unreality, false glares of 
riches, beauty, honor, which alas, will soon be 
followed by sorrow. I will say nothing about 
sinful pleasures ; for you know well that they are 
not true. Behold illicit friendship, how both par- 
ties are fearful and ashamed in the presence of a 
priest, their parents or relations ; how they are 
constantly restless ; how many anxious hours they 
pass ; how many deceptions are made use of in order 
to conceal their base designs. What anguish they 
feel during a sermon j how extremely difficult to 
them is confession, because they know that as long 
as they do not give up that unlawful friendship, 
it is all useless ; and further it will only be another 
cause of their perdition. Are these bitter reproaches 
of conscience joys ? No ! cries out that fallen girl 
and weeps ! No ! cries out the man who has lost 
his innocence. No! cries out the corrupted person 
on his death-bed. No ! No ! No ! cry out thousands 
and thousands in hell, who will burn forever on 
account of such pleasures ! Therefore, fly, fly from 
such sinful joys ! Seek those which are permitted, 
and which the merciful God deals out to us occasion- 
ally like little dew-drops that we may not totally 
pine away. They are not true joys, but nevertheless 
serve to gladden the heart amidst the weariness of 
its exile. Think of a father who tarries in prison 
fettered with a heavy iron chain ; his life is without 
joy, not even a smile lights up his countenance; 



THE ASTER. 



113 



melancholy and distress gnaw at his heart 5 but now, 
he receives a letter, a letter from his beloved son ; 
it contains expresions of filial love, sympathy and 
compassion. O what a joyful moment for this 
afflicted father ; he reads and re-reads it ; he weeps 
bitterly, and as the tears course down his cheeks, he 
holds the letter close to his bosom and will not re- 
linquish its hold ; but hark, the chains rattle and 
all his joy is gone ; he cries, " I am a captive, I 
cannot go to my child ! " Days, weeks, and years 
of misery and sadness wear slowly away. At 
length, the door of his cell opens to admit his wife 
and children whom he had not seen for years ; his 
joy, at beholding them once more, can be better 
imagined than expressed ; see it in the tears that 
flow down his meager cheeks ; understand it in the 
hours that pass away like so many minutes ; will this 
happiness be lasting ? alas, no ! Do you not hear a 
noise which startles this happy group? The jailor 
cries out : " The time has elapsed ! " and now these 
loving hearts must separate. 

Behold in this picture human joys, their short 
duration, their continual change. Joy seldom 
gladdens the heart of man unattended by sorrow, 
which constantly cries out to him that he is an exile, 
that he is not free, that he must suffer. The world is 
truly a vale of tears which sin has made so thorny. 
When happiness seems to smile most benignly upon 
you, beware, for death will come at the most un- 
looked-for moment to take you away, or some one 
8 



114 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



you greatly love, and cries out : " The last farewell 
must be spoken, time is forever passed." Look at 
the Mother of God, the holiest of all creatures. 
Was she not worthy to be exempt from all afflictions 
on earth? Behold her joy at the birth of our Sa- 
viour, but how soon was this succeeded by sorrow 
and anxiety on account of the persecution of Herod ; 
then followed the flight into Egypt and the sojourn 
in a strange land. She was greatly delighted with 
the youthful Jesus, but soon followed the painful 
loss and three-days' search. She rejoiced in the 
teachings and miracles of her Divine Son, but soon 
after followed His condemnation, cruel scourging and 
death. I will not mock at you, my dearly beloved, 
but I ask you in the earnestness of my soul : How 
many have been the truly happy, joyful hours of your 
life ? Tell me : Did you not after each joy have to 
endure some sorrow ? Therefore, prepare yourselves, 
in seasons of joy, for the unknown affliction of which 
it is the forerunner. Did you ever reap wheat from 
a field in which you had sown barley? No ! Cer- 
tainly you did not. Well, neither can you reap from 
a cursed earth a blessing which it does not possess. 
This vale of tears cannot give you a true, abiding 
joy, for its joys pass away ; its love also passes, and 
this is the second cry of the Aster. 

I do not speak here of that love which should be 
called diabolical hatred ; — of sinful, impure love of 
passion, which can be destroyed by disgust, jealousy, 
weariness, faithlessness, or separation, and which is 



THE ASTER. 



115 



therefore, no love at all, and over which St. Augus- 
tine and St. Margaret of Cortona, after their 
conversion, wept bitter tears, during the rest of their 
lives. About this love I will not speak ; but only 
of that love which God has sanctified, the Church 
has blessed, and religion has allowed ; namely, 
conjugal love, filial love, and holy friendship. These 
bonds also will break, this love pass away. The 
holiest of the holy experienced this, and how much 
more you. Mary had lived nine years in the tem- 
ple when the first dark cloud saddened the serenity 
of her pure heart ; it was the death of her beloved 
father Joachim. She, indeed, asked of God to spare 
his life, but it was not His Divine will, as He 
wished to detach her by degrees from all earthly ties, 
that she might have no other support but Himself. 
Thus, early in life, she entered into the school of 
sufferings ; she wept, for her soul like that of her 
Divine Son, was not without feeling. She accepted 
the bitter chalice with resignation to the will of God. 
Soon after the death of her father followed that of 
her dear mother Anna. Fresh tears of sorrow 
coursed down her cheeks at this great affliction. 
Some twenty years after this event Mary stood at 
the death-bed of her spouse St. Joseph ; he had been 
to her a protector during life, exhibiting on all occa- 
sions the most tender love for her, and now death 
calls him from her ; calmly and peacefully, but with 
tearful eyes she follows him to the place of burial. 
A few years later we see her standing beneath the 



116 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



Cross of her Divine Son, His precious blood flowing 
upon her head, and His last look penetrating her 
motherly heart. Now turn your eyes to Ephesus 
where Mary lost the faithful companion, the loving 
friend, Mary Magdalene, who like Ruth had left her 
native land and her people, and had followed her 
across the sea ; and Mary wept for her as Jesus had 
wept over Lazarus ! 

Thus, my dear Christians, does the Lord take 
from us those whom we love, to impress deeply upon 
our minds the great truth that there is only one love 
which will never perish, the love of God. There- 
fore, O most blessed Virgin, detach our hearts from 
all transitory joys, and infuse into us that love, of 
which St. Augustine says : " Do you desire an eter- 
nal love, love Him who is eternal." 

The Aster springing from the tomb, 
Strange union of decay and bloom, 
Serves to remind us of our doom. 

. Earthly joys are quickly past, 
Youth and beauty fly so fast, 
Heavenly joys alone will last. 



THE MYRTLE. 



117 



Nineteenth Day. 

Gbe fIDprtle, 

You were admonished yesterday, dear Christians, 
to detach your hearts from carnal love and perishable 
things, and to dedicate them to God whose love 
endures forever. To-day we will celebrate this union 
of hearts, by reflecting on that flower which is the 
emblem of the bridal-tie ; namely, the Myrtle ; it is 
a fair and tender flowret with small green leaves 
somewhat like that of the box-weed. A bride, on 
her wedding day, adorns her hair and dress with 
these pretty little snow-white buds and blossoms. 
The heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary is like the 
Myrtle, for she is a spouse in a three-fold sense. She 
is the spouse of the Holy Ghost, who from all 
eternity preserved her, the purest vessel of His grace, 
from every stain of sin, and united her to Himself 
in Divine love saying : " I have loved thee with an 
everlasting love." 1 He overshadowed her at the 
Incarnation, for the angel said : " For that which is 
conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost." 2 The 
Divine Spouse renewed this love with her on the 
feast of Pentecost, and now she reposes forever in 
His Divine love in Heaven. Therefore, St. Thomas 
calls her the vessel of election of the love of the 
Holy Spirit. St. Bernard says : u A soul is pleasing 



^er., XXXI, 3. 



Math., I, 20. 



118 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



to the Father who loves the daughter ; pleasing to 
the Son, if she loves the mother; pleasing to the 
Bridegroom if she loves the bride. " So, if you 
love and honor Mary, you are pleasing to the Father, 
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. 

Mary was the spouse of St. Joseph. It was the 
will of God, that she should give her hand in 
marriage to an upright man, who could give testi- 
mony of the purity of her life ; to a just man, who 
could protect her and her Divine Son in the hour of 
trial; to Joseph, a man already advanced in years, 
who had always lived a single life, earning his 
livelihood in the sweat of his brow. The humble 
carpenter of Nazareth become the spouse of Mary. 
She did not hesitate to espouse him because enlight- 
ened by Divine inspiration, as St. Ambrose says, she 
knew that this just man would be for her, a protector, 
a father, a guardian of her chastity. What more 
could she wish, God had heard her prayer and 
granted her the fulfilment of her vow of virginal 
purity. 

If God chose che humble St. Joseph to be the 
Spouse of the Queen of Angels, the foster father of the 
Messiah, it was because he possessed treasures of grace 
and sanctity so great, that even the heavenly spirits 
might have envied him, it was because his virtues 
exalted him to be the first among his people, and 
because he stood higher in the Book of Life than the 
greatest princes. The Blessed Virgin was not es- 
poused to the most powerful ; but to the most worthy. 



THE MYRTLE. 



119 



The espousals took place according to the custom of 
the Hebrews, in a worthy manner. Joseph gave to 
Mary, who was crowned with the bridal wreath of 
roses and myrtle, a coin and a ring in presence of 
witnesses and said : " Take this as a pledge," and 
added : " Thou shalt be to me as my mother, and I 
will honor thee as the Altar of J ehovah." From that 
time they were before God and the law, as brother 
and sister, although their union remained formally 
acknowledged. O holy Joseph ! exclaims St. Ber- 
nardine* of Sienna, " O how I envy thee ! if thou 
wert but my soul and Mary the bride of my soul ! " 
— But is not the wish of this Saint fulfilled, for 
Mary is the spouse of each soul that loves her. The 
Holy Spirit lets her say : " I love those who love 
me." And St. Bernard says : " Mount Calvary is 
the Church, St. John in whom is represented all 
mankind, is the bridegroom, Mary is the spouse, the 
time of the espousals is the last moments of the 
Redeemer." The priest who blesses the nuptials, is 
Jesus Christ, who says to the spouse : " Behold thy 
son ! " Mary replies : " May it be done unto me 
according to Thy will," and the blood of the Lord 
seals and strengthens forever the bond of love, that 
no earthly power can ever dissolve. Since that time 
the love of the heart of Mary is more glowing than 
fire, more unconquerable than death, more unquench- 
able than hell, and more precious than all the riches 
of the world. 



120 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



Mary desires to be loved by us, not for her own 
benefit, but for ours; she is and always will be 
Queen of eternal glory whether we love her or not ; 
she wishes to be the spouse of our souls for our own 
sake, because our love for her assists us to reach 
eternal beatitude. Only through Mary do we come 
to Jesus, and if we do not love her we will never 
enter the Kingdom of her Divine Son. 

The Holy Church, in the sixteenth century, insti- 
tuted a special feast in memory of the Espousals of 
Mary and Joseph. This feast is celebrated every 
year on the 23rd of January. But, dearly beloved, 
when shall we celebrate our espousals with Mary ? 
Can we find a more fitting time than during this 
beautiful month ? Let us then to-day during May 
Devotions bind ourselves to her forever; let that 
which once took place in Jerusalem be renewed 
to-day in this church. Instead of blessed St. Joseph, 
let our soul stand entreatingly in the presence of her 
who hastens to meet us. Our priest is the Lord, 
and if He asks of us three times, as He once asked 
St. Peter : Do you love Mary ? Oh, then let us 
answer and say : Lord, Thou knowest that I love 
Thy Mother, and if we ever after say three " Hail 
Marys" daily in remembrance of this three-fold 
avowal of our espousals with Mary, we will accom- 
plish an exercise earnestly recommended by the holy 
Fathers. St. Alphonsus says : Whoever says this 
prayer conscientiously, will always be firm and vic- 
torious in temptations against holy purity. St, 



THE CROWN-IMPERIAL. 



121 



Joseph gave to Mary a ring and a coin; in like 
manner the Mother of God, draws round us a circle 
of graces at our entrance into this world which will 
encompass us till death. Let us dedicate to her the 
gold ring of noble, faithful, persevering love; and 
for the coin, let us always carry a medal in her 
honor j one blessed by the Church, for it will con- 
stantly remind us of the bridal relation of our soul 
with Mary. 

To him who happiness here seeks, 
O Christian soul, the Myrtle speaks : 
It tells of holy mystic vows 
By which the spirit may espouse 
The gentle Mary, purest dove, 
And thus forever gain her love. 
A medal with her image fair, 
Let each upon his bosom wear ; 
Then will she here her love extend, 
That we may reach a blissful end. 



Twentieth Day. 

£be Growr^HmperiaL 

The Crown-Imperial, a beautiful flower, is truly 
an ornament in our gardens. It has five gorgeous 
bells of golden hue dotted with white, as though set 



122 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



with precious gems ; this flower hangs from the top 
of a tall stalk, forming, as it were, an imperial crown. 

If, according to our custom, we dedicate this flower 
to Mary, we cannot be long in doubt as to what it 
typifies ; surely it can be nothing else but the glory 
of Marv. 

Our Holy Father, the Pope and visible head of 
the Church wears a triple crown, and triple also, is 
the crown of Mary. Upon her brow sparkles the 
crown of glory surpassing that of all the saints ; the 
crown of Protectress for all men, and the crown of 
dominion over all the powers of hell ! 

The Crown-Imperial, which is the symbol of the 
glory of Mary, bears five golden bells. As the crown 
of King Alphonsus of Castile was decorated with 
five precious stones of immense value, so also the 
crown of Mary is composed of five glories, which 
proclaim that there is none higher, none more excel- 
lent, none more perfect, than Mary, except the Divine 
Majesty Himself! 

The first glory is her Immaculate Conception, for 
God said to her as Assuerus said to Esther : " This 
law is not for thee, but for all others." 1 

The second glory is, that she bore her God, for in 
her the Word was made Flesh, the Word of whom 
St. John says : In the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God, and the Word was 
God!" 2 



'Esth., XY, 13. 



2 John, I, 1. 



THE CROWN-IMPERIAL. 



123 



The third glory is, that notwithstanding her ma- 
ternity she still remains a virgin as Isaias had 
predicted a thousand years before : " Behold a virgin 
shall conceive and bear a son ! " 1 

The fourth glory is, that God was obedient to her, 
and did as she desired, for mark the words of Holy 
Scripture : " He went down with them to Nazareth, 
and was subject to them ! " 2 

The fifth glory is, that she is the mother of all 
mankind, a Mediatrix between God and man, and 
mighty through the power of her intercession, as is 
God through the nature of His essence. St. Athana- 
sius, full of enthusiasm, calls her the supplicatory 
Omnipotence. 

Consider then these w r ondrous pearls, these precious 
gems of grace ; form of them a crown, and tell me 
whether St. Peter Damian is not right when he says : 
" As the naked eye cannot look at the sun in its mid- 
day splendor without becoming blind, so no human 
intelligence can comprehend; — no human tongue 
express ; — no human heart sufficiently feel the inex- 
pressible, immeasurable greatness of the glory of 
Mary. Mary that virgin who could say : ( He that 
made me rested in my tabernacle V v 3 That virgin 
who being the Mother of God, is necessarily an abyss 
of graces, an ocean of splendors, a world of Divine 
riches, who is in fine after God everything that man 



^sai., VII, 14. 
3 Eccl.,XXIV, 12. 



2 Luke, II, 51. 



124 



FLOWEES OF MARY. 



or angel can conceive of grandeur, magnificence, 
holiness and the most sublime perfections. 

The title alone of " Mother of God," justifies, and 
sanctifies all sentiments of love and gratitude, all 
elevations of the soul, and suggestions of tenderness 
towards her. The altars and temples built and 
dedicated to her honor; the hymns and prayers 
composed in honor of Mary ; all that man can do 
for her is as nothing in comparison to her dignity as 
mother of God ; because as St. Alphonsus says : 
" Man can never do too much for love of Mary." 

" There are two miracles of Divine Omnipotence 
which could be neither better nor greater," says the 
Prince of Theologians, St. Thomas. These miracles 
which are so great, so incomprehensible, so divinely 
inexpressible are the Incarnation of Jesus Christ and 
the Maternity of Mary ; and these were accom- 
plished in and through the most holy Virgin Mary. 
And do you know the solemn moment in which this 
miracle of infinite mercy was accomplished? Do 
you know whose word was the means of its Divine 
accomplishment? Do you know what mouth has 
spoken that word ? Reflect a moment, think of that 
day, the most beautiful on which the sun ever shone, 
when the Archangel came down from Heaven to 
announce to the Virgin of Israel, that she was 
chosen to be the Mother of God. 

Submissive to the Divine will, Mary opens her 
mouth and, whilst God and His angels contemplated 
her with love, she speaks a few words through 



THE CROWN-IMPEKIAL. 



125 



which and with which, she gives to the world grace 
and glory : namely, " Be it done to me according to thy 
word ! " 1 In this greatest of moments the Word was 
made Flesh, and a Virgin became the Mother of God ! 

So, dear Christians, these are the two great master- 
pieces, which according to St. Thomas, God Himself 
could not have made either greater or better. They 
were accomplished in Mary through words from her 
lips. Thus her glory became greater than that of all 
created beings and the angels placed upon her brow 
the imperial crown of honor and glory. St. Bona- 
venture rightly exclaims : " Let human wisdom no 
longer speak of the nothingness of its greatness ; let 
it no longer profane the language of praise and 
admiration by extolling the achievements of human 
pride ; let it cease to desire the veneration of earthly 
grandeur; enlightened by grace, let it finally 
acknowledge that all created greatness is but dust in 
comparison with the glory of our dearest Lady, the 
the Blessed Virgin Mary ! " 

Thus, dear Christians, was Mary exalted by God 
Himself. Let us now consider another glory which 
mankind bestows upon her, and which Mary herself, 
the Queen of Prophets, had foretold in these words : 
" Behold from henceforth all generations shall call 
me blessed ! " 2 

Who is she, whom kings and people, the great 
and the small, the rich and the poor, yes, even the 



'Luke, I, 38. 



2 Luke, I, 48. 



126 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



little children invoke as the Queen of the world, 
and salute as the Mother of God ? 

Who is she, whom the soldier invokes, amid the 
din of battle ; the mariner on the tempestuous ocean ; 
the husbandman as he cultivates his land ; the inva- 
lid upon his couch of pain, and the dying Christian 
in his last agony ? 

Who is she, whom the Apostles of Jesus Christ 
honored, the first Christians invoked, the holy coun- 
cils praised, and whom all men in every age have 
revered ? Who is she that is honored and invoked 
by the Egyptian on the banks of the Nile, by the 
Negro in the wilds of Africa, by the Savage on the 
western plains, by the Chinese upon the ruins of his 
pagoda, by the Tartar in his desert, and by the 
people of Kamtschatka ? 

Dear Christians, it is Mary, she who is the joy of 
all Catholic hearts, the solace of all Christian souls ; 
yes, it is Mary, whose honor is very great, whose 
renown is inexpressible, whose glory is immense. 
Mary, whose veneration went forth from the moun- 
tains of Judea, growing like a river broader and 
deeper, until it became a mighty stream, and to-day 
it is great as the ocean which surrounds the habitable 
land. Amazed at the unspeakable grandeur of Mary, 
you may perhaps ask : What can we do to increase 
the homage already offered to the Queen of Heaven ? 
Well, I will tell you ! You can extend the kingdom 
of Mary by a life in which her life is mirrored by 
virtues which are the reflex of her own, Imitate 



THE CROWN-IMPERIAL. 



127 



her faith, her humility, her purity, her obedience and 
resignation to the Divine Will. Thus you will rep- 
resent, in a spiritual sense, the five golden bells of 
the Crown-Imperial. 

Endeavor, dear Christians, to fill the whole world 
with the praises of the exalted Queen of Heaven ; 
destroy in yourselves the kingdom of sin, in order 
to gain the love of Mary ; place your hearts, your 
lives, your salvation under her powerful protection. 
Consider that day as lost, in which you do nothing 
for love of her. Spread devotion to her, among your 
associates. Make your homes and churches resound 
with hymns in her honor, and thus add a link to the 
endless chain of homage and praise, which she be- 
held in spirit when she exclaimed : " Henceforth all 
generations shall call me blessed ! " 1 

The Imperial Crown with its wondrous bells 
Such a beautiful story of Mary tells ! 
Her Conception Immaculate first it sings, 
Then her honor as Virgin and Mother rings. 

It tells how her Son, her each wish did obey, 
How she stands between man and his God to-day. 
Her diadem glitters with marvelous sheen 
In the home of the blessed, of which she is Queen. 

O Mary, my Mother ! Most lovely, most mild ! 
Look down now upon me, poor, weak, lowly child, 
From this land of exile, I call upon thee, 
My Queen, and my Mother : my trust is in thee ! 

1 LukeJ, 48. 



128 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



Twenty-first Day. 
flDO06* 

To-day, dear Christians, instead of dedicating to 
Mary one of the beautiful flowers which surround 
her image, we have selected another of earth's beauties 
as our votive offering, while we lovingly contemplate 
its beauty. It is the fresh, green Moss which is 
often used in decorating altars. It is the emblem 
of the love we should have for our neighbor. 

We need only consider that sentence of the Apostle : 
Whosoever loves God, loves his brother, also, to be 
convinced of Mary's love for her neighbor, for in her 
heart the flame of Divine love burned most ardently. 
Why did she hasten over the mountains of Judea ? 
It was to impart to her cousin St. Elizabeth the joy 
which filled her heart, that she too, might rejoice. 
Behold her charity at the marriage-feast of Cana, as 
soon as she observed the lack of wine she endeavored 
to relieve the embarrassment of the bride and bride- 
groom by supplying the want. And again, what a 
faithful friend she was to St. John and to St. Mag- 
dalene ! How much has she assisted, by her counsel, 
the infant Church of God. She was its support at 
the sacrifice of her rest. Let us imitate her sublime 
example, remembering these words which apply to 
us also : " By this shall all men know that you are 
my disciples, if you have love one for another. 1 

1 John, XIII, 35. 



MOSS. 



129 



The Moss generally grows on the roots of trees, 
and as it were, warms and protects them ; thus it 
symbolizes admirably, love for our neighbor. This 
virtue includes the spiritual and corporal works of 
mercy ; it supports the neighbor by counsel and act, 
because such is the will of God. It loves all men 
without exception, because all are brothers, and all 
are redeemed by the precious Blood of Jesus Christ. 
It loves even enemies according to the example of 
our Divine Saviour, who prayed upon the Cross for 
those who were the cause of his sufferings and death. 

Moss may be found at the foot of high oaks. The 
love of our neighbor must be joined to faith, or 
rather without faith there is no true love for our 
neighbor. The great Fenelon says when speaking 
about the creation of man : " Man formed of the 
slime of the earth lay motionless until God breathed 
into his face the breath of life, then he became a 
living soul." Just so is the natural love in us, until 
faith touches it with its Divine breath. Thus breathed 
upon, love becomes quickened, genuine and meri- 
torious. Without faith, says the Imitation of Christ, 
love becomes sensual, because natural inclinations, 
self-love, hope of reward, and desire for convenience 
very often have part in it. Only by faith does love 
become a loadstone, which attracts the hearts of all ; 
only by faith does love become a sun, which sheds 
its light upon all without exception ; only by faith 
does love become like gold without alloy. 
9 



130 



FLOWEES OF MARY. 



Moss remains green even during winter, signifying 
to us that we must always love our neighbor. This 
love should manifest itself especially in the hour of 
misfortune and want. Misery is the touchstone of 
love; if it perseveres at this time, it is true and 
genuine. That great Father of the Church, St. 
Basil, had a friend who had been imprisoned. St. 
Chrysostom informs us, that the Saint obtained ad- 
mission into the prison whenever it was possible, 
that he might assist his suffering friend, even though 
by acting in this manner, he exposed himself to the 
same danger. When some of his friends earnestly 
remonstrated with him for thus risking his life, 
St. Basil answered : " In no other way did I learn 
to love/' If we wish to be true Christians, we must 
have the true mark of Christianity; namely, love 
for our neighbor ; that love which is best known in 
adversity. It is not hard to be attached to a rich, 
happy or respected person ; but to be a friend to the 
poor and needy, to the sick and afflicted, to the 
outcast and abandoned, this is, indeed, a virtue which 
makes us like unto Jesus and Mary, and has true 
value in the sight of God. Neither should the 
winter of ingratitude chill our love towards our 
neighbor. Even though our charity be unappreci- 
ated, our gifts abused, our benefits received without 
thanks ; our good intentions misconstrued and re- 
pulsed ; it makes no difference, we did it for the love 
of God who taught us, that without love for our 
neighbor, we cannot be saved. 



MOSS. 



131 



There is a beautiful legend about the Moss, which 
says, that its original color was grey j and when the 
dead Body of Jesus had been taken from the Cross 
and placed on Mary's lap, the last drops of His 
precious Blood trickled from His sacred Wounds 
on the moss beneath the feet of the Sorrowful 
Mother, and it at once became green, as a symbol of 
the all-quickening power of the Precious Blood of 
Christ. — Since our Lord died for us upon the Cross, 
love for our neighbor is green, that is, it gives hope 
of eternal recompense. Our Divine Saviour said : 
"As long as you did it to one of these my least 
brethren you did it unto me." 1 For I was naked 
and you clothed me ; I was sick and you visited me ; 
I was hungry and you gave me to eat. Truly your 
reward will be great in Heaven. O how joyfully 
should we practice charity toward our neighbor, which 
St. Francis calls the key to Paradise. It is related 
in the life of St. Catherine of Sienna, that a noble 
lady once met two beggars. As she had no money 
just then, she took from her person her silver girdle 
and gave it to them. The mendicants said to her : 
" Thanks, dear lady, on the day of judgment we will 
not fail to draw you from the left hand to the right 
with this girdle." This is a prophetical saying, 
which is fulfilled in recompense of each act of 
Christian Charity. God leaves nothing unrewarded. 
He remunerates in Heaven a drink of cold water 



1 Math., XXV, 40. 



132 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



offered in charity. " Love of our neighbor/' says 
St. Augustine, "is the seal of predilection." And 
St. Vincent of Paul says : " I cannot remember that 
anyone died a bad death who practiced works of 
charity towards his neighbor." Can there be any 
stronger motive to love this virtue than a good death 
and beatitude in Heaven ? 

O blessed Lady, who in this virtue art our most 
glorious example, give us great hearts which will 
inclose all mankind with equal love ! A love that 
will weep with the afflicted, that will solace the 
downcast and support the poor ! so that on the day 
of Judgment thy Divine Son may recognize us as His 
true children, and address us in these words : 
"Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain 
mercy." 1 

Let us always love our neighbor, 
For him suffer, pray and labor, 
God will pay all back in Heaven, 
Yes ! even a cup of water given. 

Let us like God's holy Mother, 
Reach our hand to aid our brother, 
And like the moss e'er seek to cover 
The faults in him we may discover. 



1 Math., V, 7. 



THE MARIGOLD. 



133 



Twenty-second Day. 

When the physicians of Emperor Rudolph of 
Hapsburg informed him that his death was near, he 
cried out ; " Well then, let us set out for Spire ; " 
this being the usual burial-place of the German 
Emperors. So accompanied by two priests the 
dying old man cheerfully rode to his sepulchre ; as 
he passed along, the people from the surrounding 
country hastened to see him once more, for they 
loved him dearly. He died while on the journey at 
Germersheim on the 15th of July, 1291. We, also, 
dear Christians, are hastening to meet death every 
hour, every moment; for "what else is our life," 
says St. Augustine, " but a journey to death ; it is 
indeed a continual one." O that we could all meet 
death as cheerfully and as well prepared as this 
Emperor ! Let us now consider death in its emblem 
the Marigold. This is a simple yellow flower, with 
a hollow stalk containing milk ; the plant grows 
nearly like a weed and can be found especially on the 
graves of the departed ; and for this very reason is 
taken as the emblem of death. 

The Marigold reminds us of the death of Mary. 
When after a beautiful day in spring the sun has set, 
his rays no longer warm and illuminate the earth, then 
everything in nature assumes a peaceful calmness, 
and the heart of man is seized with a melancholy 



134 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



feeling at the solemn stillness reigning around. But 
what is the setting of the earthly sun in comparison 
to the departure of Mary, whom St. Ephrem calls 
the sun of life ! After her return from Greece, 
Mary retired in Jerusalem to Mt. Sion, near the 
ruins of the palace of the kings of her own tribe, to 
the house which had been sanctified by the descent 
of the Holy Ghost. Here she awaited her last 
hours. The Apostles, disciples, holy women, and the 
whole congregation of the faithful crowded around 
her death-bed. St. James, that serious and peni- 
tential man, tried but in vain to repress his tears ; 
St. Peter, who loved the Son of God so ardently 
during his life, wept aloud so great was his grief ; 
St. J ohn hid his face in his cloak and sobbed like a 
child. In the whole assembly there was not an eye, 
that was not moistened with tears ; not a heart that 
was not well-nigh broken. And now for the last 
time Mary cast her loving glance on that dear group, 
who were all one in the love of Christ, and who 
would soon seal that love with their blood. Mary 
blessed them saying, that she would enter into the 
heavenly Jerusalem, in order to be able to do more 
for them ; for although she was leaving them now ; 
she would not forget them in Heaven. If St. Stephen 
saw Heaven open before his death, and St. John was 
permitted to look into Paradise, do you not think 
that the heavens opened to Mary the Queen of all 
Saints, that she might see the throne of her Divine 
Son? Yes, for St. Jerome says, " Jesus Christ, 



THE MARIGOLD. 



135 



Himself came to accompany her ; and amid the songs 
of the Angels she was ushered into her Heavenly 
Home." O how beautiful w T as her death ! 

The Marigold, also reminds us of the death of our 
friends. However numerous the circle of our dear 
ones may be, it becomes smaller each year, for death 
unsparingly takes some one from its ranks. The 
grief that Mary felt at the death of her beloved 
parents, and that of her Divine Son, we too will 
sooner or later experience, and many of us have 
already gone through this trying ordeal. A glance 
at the graveyard recalls to our minds the ties which 
death has torn asunder ; the bonds of conjugal and 
filial love, and also that of holy friendship. 

The Landgrave Lewis of Thuringia, died of fever, 
at Otranto, during a crusade, on the 11th of Sep- 
tember, 1227. When this sad intelligence reached 
St. Elizabeth, his pious wife at Wartburg, she sank 
upon her knees weeping and lamenting ; she said : 
" Now is the whole world dead for me : for every- 
thing worthy of love has departed. Oh ! woe is me, 
a poor disconsolate widow ! Comfort me, thou, who 
art the consoler of widows and orphans ! " This 
sorrow many of you have also experienced. When, 
for instance, a dying father or mother held your hand 
for the last time ; or when a father placed his dear 
child in the coffin, or when a much-esteemed and 
loving friend was lowered into the grave ; did it not 
seem to you, that you yourself would die ? And tell 
me, does that moment not remain always fresh in 



136 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



your memory ? Our Divine Saviour shed tears at 
the grave of Lazarus His friend. Mary wept bitterly 
at the death of her dear parents and at the crucifixion 
and death of her Divine Son ; these tears confirm 
the truth that " the death of our dear ones is most 
painful ! " 

The Marigold further reminds us of our own 
death. And this is very bitter ; bitter by reason of 
the separation from our loved ones, the pains of 
sickness, the anxiety of conscience, the multitude of 
our sins, the omniscience of the Judge, the severity 
of the judgment, and the uncertainty of our future 
fate ; — all of which assail the dying person and cause 
an icy sweat to moisten his forehead. Even the 
saints trembled at this last moment. O dreadful 
sentence : " You must die ! you must leave your 
money and possessions, your house and your lands, 
your wife and children, and all that is near and dear 
to you ! " As your last hour approaches your wife 
and weeping children gather round your death-bed ; 
your parents weep in sorrow near your bed ; perhaps 
a friend of your youth also weeps by your side, as 
he presses your cold hand in his. But death is 
coming, and that hand grows stiff and falls upon 
your breast; while from the feet upwards slowly 
moves that stroke, which takes the life from the 
heart. O truly our death is very, very bitter ! 

It is only thou, O purest of Virgins, holy Mary, 
that canst sweeten its bitterness; only thou who 
canst illuminate this night by assisting us in this 



THE YELLOW ROSE. 



137 



last moment by thy motherly care ; and by obtaining 
for us from thy Divine Son, the grace of a happy 
death. Thou didst assist St. Joseph in his last hour, 
and thou didst not leave the Cross, the death-bed of 
Jesus thy most beloved Son ! O then, remain with 
us also, in our last moments, and pray for us poor 
sinners in the hour of our death. Amen. 

Wither not, O Marigold, 
But thy petals e'er unfold ; 
Thou that symbolizeth death, 
Increase our faith with every breath. 
Warn us of that dreadful day 
When from earth we'll pass away ; 
That each day we may prepare, 
And of cursed sin beware. 



Twenty-third Day. 

£be fellow IRose* 

There is a legend which relates the following in- 
cident of Godfrey the Rough, Count of Barcelona. 
After he had fought by the side of Lewis the Pious, 
with great courage and success, against the Saracens, 
he carried his gilded shield to the king, that he might 
receive permission to have an escutcheon placed 
thereon. As the king beheld him covered with 
wounds, from which the blood still gushed forth, 



138 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



he dipped his five fingers in the blood of the gallant 
warrior, and without saying a word, ran them over 
the shield, and thus marked five red lines upon it, 
which henceforth became the escutcheon of the Counts 
of Barcelona. 

Let your escutcheon, dear Christians, be the Yellow 
Rose, sprinkled with the blood by which our souls 
and the souls of all men have been redeemed. It is 
the emblem of zeal for souls. Its color signifies the 
fire which should consume us for the salvation of 
our own soul. Mary, the mystical Rose, urges us 
to strive earnestly for our sanctification : " Come, 
my son, take counsel from me and save your soul ! " 
O how beautiful is the soul ! St. Bernardine says, 
that if man could see with his corporal eyes his 
glorified soul, he would scarcely believe that God 
Himself could be more beautiful. St. Thomas of 
Villanova says : u If the Almighty would create as 
many heavens of glory as there are drops in the 
ocean and grains of sand on its shores, all the beauties 
of those heavens joined together, would be nothing 
in comparison to the beauty of a single soul. Such 
a soul have you, O man ! A soul created according 
to the image of God, and destined for eternal beati- 
tude ! That it might be forever happy, our Divine 
Saviour worked and endured so much, and shed even 
the last drop of His precious Blood. You have but 
one soul and it is immortal. Should you not then 
burn and glow with zeal for its sanctification, that 
it may not be lost for all eternity ? 



THE YELLOW ROSE. 



139 



The Yellow Rose is a rare flower, as is also that 
virtue of which it is the emblem — Zeal for souls. 
A man laments if he lose a piece of money, complains 
if he is persecuted, weeps if death takes one of his 
loved ones, shed tears for everything but the soul of 
him who dies in mortal sin. Yet, how often these 
words resound in our ears : " What doth it profit a 
man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul ? " 1 
How solicitous men are to preserve the body from 
sickness ! " How much care/' says St. Augustine, 
" does man take that he may not die so quickly ; but 
how little that he might not die eternally. " You 
love your dress and like to have it orderly ; you love 
your property and wish to have it in good condition ; 
you love your child, and wish it to be pious ; you 
love your soul, and yet you do not wish that it should 
be happy in this world and in the next ; for, instead 
of prayer, frequent reception of the holy Sacraments, 
avoiding sin and the occasions of it, you act, perhaps, 
in a manner the very opposite, and thus verify the 
sentence : u If people would only do half as much 
for the salvation of their souls as they do for their 
perdition, all would be saved." If we are careless 
about our own salvation, we are generally so about 
that of our neighbor. In this regard many Christians 
remind us of the Prophet Jonas, who had to publish 
the destruction of the city of Ninive. On his way 
he sat down under an ivy and slept. A worm struck 



^lath., XV f, 26. 



140 



FLOWEKS OF MARY. 



the ivy and it withered. The broiling sun beat upon 
the head of Jonas. He awoke, recognized the cause, 
and complained bitterly that the worm had destroyed 
his shade. That grieved him very much, but he felt 
no sorrow that so many thousands in Ninive should 
perish. 

The Yellow Rose exhales an agreeable odor, 
signifying by this, that we are not here on earth 
merely for ourselves, but for others also. The words 
of Christ to St. Peter : If you love me " Feed my 
lambs," 1 are in some regard, as St. Chrysostom says, 
addressed to all of us. We should always have a 
care for the salvation of our fellow men, exhale the 
sweet odor of good example, pray for them, admon- 
ish them, and persuade them to avoid evil and do 
good. We can never give to Mary a greater pleasure, 
nor imitate her better, than when we work as it were 
into her hands, and glow with burning zeal for the 
salvation of souls. " She, who is the Refuge of 
sinners," says St. Alphonsus, " loves those most, who 
try with her, to seek and to save the lost lambs." 
This glorious task is the one object which the Con- 
fraternity of the Sacred Heart of Mary has taken 
upon itself. Therofore, every true Christian, every 
true servant of Mary should belong to this Confra- 
ternity. What joy to be able to assist Mary ! 
What a consolation to have saved a soul ! " Mary 
will surely convert you yet," said a young girl of a 



iJohn, XXI, 15. 



THE YELLOW ROSE. 



141 



noble family in Germany, to a young man, a near 
relative of hers, who was leading a dissolute life. 
"Then she has to perform a miracle," sneeringly 
replied the youth ; and from that time they did not 
see each other any more. The girl had even from 
her childhood cherished a tender devotion to the 
Mother of God, and an unshaken confidence in her 
powerful intercession. She now prayed and fasted 
for the salvation of this erring soul ; for this purpose 
she offered to God her holy Communions, and knelt 
for hours in prayer before an image of Mary ; not a 
day passed in which she did not recommend him to 
the Sacred Heart of Mary. During this time the 
young man still continued his licentious life, in a 
mercantile house, in the great city of Strasburg; 
without the least change for the better. Finally his 
father died, and the girl hoped this would turn him 
from his evil course, but in this she was disappointed. 
This loss did not seem to make the least impression 
upon him. The confidence of the young girl was 
still unshaken; she redoubled her prayers. The 
young man was once on a journey and the horses ran 
off and he himself was thrown from the conveyance 
and severely injured ; it was long before he recovered ; 
and still he remained unconverted. Shortly after 
this he came accidently into a city where a mission 
was being given. In the evening he went along 
with his friends to hear the sermon, but only through 
mockery and with a bad intention. The missionary 
who spoke of the power and love of Mary, said that 



142 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



there was no sinner so great, but this Mother would 
have pity on him. The young man was deeply 
moved on hearing this and began to sob, and has- 
tened from the church that he might give vent to his 
tears ; he was truly converted. Some days later, the 
young girl who had prayed so much for him, re- 
ceived a letter containing the following words : " Do 
you remember what you once told me, that ' Mary 
will surely convert you yet ? y and how I contempt- 
uously answered : ' She will have to perform a 
miracle then ; ' now rejoice with me for that miracle 
has really been performed. Mary has converted me ; 
I am saved ! " 

O most blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us that in 
our hearts may bloom the Yellow Rose of zeal for 
our own souls, and for those of our fellow-men, so 
that in us may be fulfilled these holy words : " Who- 
soever saves the soul of his brother, saves also his 
own." 

One soul alone does each one own, 

A soul of priceless worth ; 
Then let us aim to save the same, 

It was not made for earth. 

The Yellow Rose whose beauty glows 

In gardens rich and rare, 
Tells of the zeal we all should feel 

To keep this treasure fair. 



THE NARCISSUS. 



143 



Twenty-fourth Day. 

Zbe IRarcissus* 

Next to the adoration we owe to God, the Supreme 
Being and Lord of all things, we owe to Mary the 
most tender love, the greatest devotion, the strongest 
attachment and the most devoted service. This 
veneration of Mary, according to a doctrine of God's 
holy Church neither contradicts Holy Writ, tradition, 
nor reason. It began at the tomb of Mary, which 
was devoutly visited by the first Christians. This 
devotion has continued from generation to generation 
down to the present time, and will continue till the 
end of the world. As Mary herself predicted, in 
these words : " Behold from henceforth all gener- 
ations shall call me blessed ! 1 St. Francis of Sales 
calls this veneration of Mary : " The spring-time of 
holy Church, which always sends forth new blossoms, 
keeps all hearts alive and active in their love towards 
God, and through its sweet perfume inspires all 
Christians with the most exalted virtue." The 
emblem of this devotion to Mary is the Narcissus, a 
spring flower, whose form itself points to her, who 
should be the object of our love and veneration. Its 
upright stalk tending towards heaven, speaks to us 
of the Queen of Heaven ; its calix somewhat inclined 
towards the earth, reminds us of the Mother of God 



1 Luke, I, 48. 



144 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



looking down from Heaven fall of love and pity 
upon her devoted children ; its snow-white petals 
signify the purity of the immaculate Heart of Mary ; 
the yellow and red circle in the center symbolizes the 
golden crown of glory with which the most Holy 
Trinity has crowned Mary in Heaven, and the whole 
Catholic Church has crowned her upon earth ; its 
sweet scent indicates the love and tender charity of 
her whom men salute as the Eefuge of Sinners, and 
the Consolation of the Afflicted ; its blooming in 
spring-time proclaims that where devotion to Mary 
is found, a spring of ardent love for God is 
awakened, and the flowers of all virtues bloom. 

The Narcissus raises itself high above the ground, 
ever tending heavenward, thus signifying that de- 
votion to Mary is sublime. Faith teaches us, that 
Mary is the Mother of God ; and reason tells us that 
after God, the greatest reverence is due to her. This 
veneration does not consist merely in the imitation 
of her virtues, but in a special service. The holy 
Church directed by the Holy Ghost, declared in the 
Council of Trent, that it is permitted to venerate the 
Mother of God and to invoke her powerful inter- 
cession with Him. She is the holiest of all God's 
creatures, therefore we honor her more than we do 
the angels and saints ; for, did she not bring forth 
Him who created the angels, and gave to the saints 
the grace of sanctification ? She certainly bore the 
Redeemer of our souls, the Saviour of the whole 
world, without whom we all would have been lost. 



THE NARCISSUS. 



145 



This holy Virgin whom the prophets announced, 
the saints served and the angels venerate, is the same 
who joyfully exclaimed when she was saluted by St. 
Elizabeth as the Mother of God, " He that is 
mighty hath done great things to me, and holy is His 
name ! 99 1 Yes, God has exalted her to be Queen of 
Heaven, therefore the heavenly hosts serve her, 
because she is the Mother of their King. He has 
exalted her as Queen of earth, therefore all good men 
must serve her, for the Lord Himself commended 
her to them in the person of St. John, from the 
cross with these words : " Behold thy Mother ! " 2 
The service of Mary is honorable, because it elevates 
man to venerate the most exalted of creatures, and 
through this veneration to adore the Omnipotent 
Creator. 

The Narcissus is white like the immaculate heart 
of the most pure Virgin, who loves nothing so much 
as purity, and detests nothing so much as impurity. 
If, therefore, we wish to please Mary, we must love 
the virtue of holy purity. Whilst on earth, the 
blessed Virgin loved two souls in a special manner ; 
they were St. John and Mary Magdalene. Let us 
preserve our innocence like the former, or if we have 
unhappily lost it, ever bewail it and carefully avoid 
all occasions of sin like the latter did. Mary will 
then most assuredly love us and take us under her 
motherly protection. A heart which loves Mary 



1 Luke, I, 49. 
10 



2 John, XIX, 27. 



146 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



must be pure. You may ask me then if sinners are 
not permitted to call upon her ? Not those, indeed, 
who wish to remain sinners; but the cry of the 
sinner, acknowledging his misery, regretting his sins, 
and having the will and desire to amend his evil 
ways, is not in vain ; only in this regard is Mary 
the Refuge of Sinners ; for it will remain forever 
true, that although Mary is the Refuge of Sinners, 
she is not an advocate of sin. 

The Narcissus has in its center a crown as yellow 
as gold, which is a symbol of the reward acquired 
by truly serving the blessed Virgin Mary. The 
Church applies to Mary these words of Holy Writ : 
" I love them that love me." 1 And do you think 
there can be a greater reward in this world, than 
that of being loved by Mary ? Her love, says St. 
Bernard, is the fullness of grace; how then can that 
heart languish which has for its own the fountain of 
all graces? The saints teach us to ask of Mary 
three special favors, and these she herself likes most 
to obtain for us from her Divine Son. These graces 
are conversion, perseverance in good, and a happy 
death. And is a Christian who obtains these not 
well rewarded for his love for and devotion to 
Mary? 

The Narcissus is a spring flower, and in the heart 
that truly loves Mary, a new spiritual spring is 
awakened. Love of Mary and love of sin cannot 



^rov., VIII, 17. 



THE NARCISSUS. 



147 



dwell together in the same bosom. If Mary is the 
conqueror of the heart, the vice of bad habits will be 
eradicated, tepidity and sloth will vanish, the tempest 
of passion will become quiet, and the winter of sin 
will depart. Then the pure vernal air of Divine 
love will gently blow in the sanctified soul and 
everything will bloom in the fresh green of filial 
confidence in Mary. The experience of every century 
teaches us that the greatest saints and the most 
brilliant lights of the Church always entertained for 
Mary, the greatest veneration and most heartfelt 
devotion ; whilst on the other hand, those who ceased 
to honor the Mother of God began from that very 
moment to fall away from the faith and to depart 
from virtue. 

O Heavenly Narcissus, most blessed Virgin Mary, 
obtain for us the grace that in our hearts may ever 
glow a pure and sincere love for thee. May our 
devotion and veneration for thee ever remain fresh 
and active, like nature in spring-time, until that 
moment when we, through thy love, enter into the 
eternal Spring in Heaven ! Amen. 

When winter with its icy blast 

And frost and snow is fully past, 

Narcissus with its pearly sheen 

In stately beauty soon is seen ; 

It, springing from the wakening earth, 

Sheds beauty where before was dearth. 



148 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



Just so when souls break free from sin, 
And pure and contrite lives begin ; 
The Virgin mild looks down with love, 
Upon her children from above, 
Forgets that rebels they have been, 
She loves the sinner tho ? hates sin. 



Twenty-fifth Day. 

Gbe Sweet IDiolet, 

The Violet is the symbol of humility, and since 
Mary is called the humble Virgin, St. Bernardine 
justly styles her the most beautiful Violet. Let us 
to-day, first of all, take a glance at the earthly violet, 
then at Mary the heavenly Violet, and lastly at 
ourselves to see how we may resemble this flower by 
becoming like Mary truly humble. 

The Violet has not the sparkling white of the lily, 
nor the magnificent crimson of the rose, nor the 
variegated colors of the tulip. No, its garb is plain 
and unassuming, for its color is dark-blue without 
brilliancy or variety. It is a lowly plant which 
blooms at the feet of its more stately companions. 
Therefore, it is the emblem of humility, because true 
humility is simple. Look at Mary, she is the 
daughter of the kings of Juda, yet she wears a plain, 
coarse dress. Consider, that she is descended from 



THE SWEET VIOLET. 



149 



the royal house of David, yet she puts her hand to 
the spindle, and performs the work of the household 
as the lowest servant. Listen to the words of Mary 
and you will hear her say : " Behold the handmaid 
of the Lord ; " 1 and again, she sings : " Because He 
hath regarded the humility of His handmaid ; " 2 
hence, if you wish to be like the Violet and like 
Mary, you must be humble in your dress as well as 
in your words and actions. Among the fashions 
choose always the least conspicuous ; in. your apparel, 
always select the most unassuming ; and in colors 
always wear the least remarkable. Remember well 
the beautiful doctrine of St. Francis de Sales, that 
the dress is the index of the soul. As merchants 
advertise outside on their shops w r hat can be had 
within, so an extravagant dress, not suitable to the 
station of the wearer, shows that in the soul of the 
person that wears it, there is little virtue. On the 
other hand, a clean and simple dress proclaims that 
beneath it, beats an humble heart. Your words should 
also be humble. Listen to the opinion of a great 
master of the spiritual life. He says : As the hunter 
always speaks of the chase, and the soldier continu- 
ally recounts the campaigns and battles in which he 
had been engaged, so the arrogant man always speaks 
of himself and to his own praise ; while the humble 
man is quiet, never converses of himself, much less 
speaks in his own praise, and should it happen that 



1 Luke, I, 38. 



2 Luke, I, 48. 



150 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



he is made the topic of conversation he endeavors to 
change the subject. In all our actions and under- 
takings humility should shine as the sun reflects 
through the foliage of the trees. Dear Christians, 
if we but consider St. Joseph making ploughs, our 
Divine Saviour gathering shavings, or carrying water, 
the blessed Virgin spinning and plaiting mats to 
cover the roof of their humble dwelling ; or how they 
ground their own wheat and barley as St. Ambrose 
relates, can you then perform your domestic works 
with reluctance, or despise the low employments of 
daily life? Should you not rather feel greater joy 
in accomplishing them the more humble they are? 
Know then, that such is the life of those possessing 
true humility, for by this they become like Mary. 
This thought often induced St. Elizabeth of Hungary 
to leave her castle bare- footed and in a coarse woolen 
dress, beg from house to house, and eat with her 
servants solely that she might resemble Mary by 
practicing humility, and enjoy the interior delight 
and beatitude of a truly humble souh 

The Violet grows lowly, its head is always bowed 
down ; and is, therefore, a true emblem of humility. 
An humble person strives not after honors and renown, 
or distinction and dignities, but is satisfied with the 
state, with the office, with the vocation, with the 
financial standing, with the position in which God 
has placed him. He is thus extremely happy and 
requires nothing else. Look at the heavenly Violet, 
Mary. Is she not of the royal blood of David ? 



THE SWEET VIOLET. 



151 



Were not her ancestors kings? Nevertheless, she 
had not the slightest longing for honors and distinc- 
tions ; she was well satisfied with her poor cottage, 
her humble couch, her small income, her poor spouse, 
and her poor Child. St. Bernard says : " As the 
only desire of the captive is for liberty ; of the sick 
for health ; of the thirsty for a cooling draught ; so 
was for the Mother of God her only joy and only 
consolation the humble position in which God placed 
her." If then, you desire to be like Mary, love 
your station in life, whether it be that of a farmer, 
a servant, a widow, an invalid or that of a tradesman. 
Be contented and do not strive ambitiously after a 
more comfortable condition, for by this you would 
show that you were not truly humble, and hence you 
can have no right to Heaven, which is only for the 
humble. 

The Violet has its little head inclined towards the 
ground, and the heart of the humble is always lowly. 
Consider Mary when the angel announced to her that 
she should become the Mother of God ; there she 
knelt, says St. Ambrose, with bowed head saying 
her evening prayers. Humility is modest in words 
and looks. And do you know why humility casts 
the eyes downwards ? Because, as St. Bernard says, 
" Heaven and earth serve to make us humble." 
Heaven, with its graces and benefits, God, with the 
weight of his love, press the soul down to the earth 
which, on seeing it, beholds its kindred dust, whilst 
all the afflictions which surround it are motives for 



152 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



humility. Nevertheless, humility does not make us 
faint-hearted or weak. St. Teresa says : " Humility 
is truth, and truth makes the will firm as steel." 
True humility is dauntless, because, knowing its own 
weakness, it never presumes upon itself, but confides 
always and only in the strength of God. It is 
dauntless because confidence imparts love, and love 
is strong as death. Its glow is like fire ; a flame of 
the Lord. No saint ever arrived at such a high 
degree of perfection, that we cannot and ought not 
strive to reach the same. Humility should show us 
how far we are from our destiny, not, indeed, to 
dampen our courage, but to inflame our zeal. 

O Heavenly Violet, most humble Virgin, obtain 
for us the virtue of humility, which you always 
practiced so perfectly; humility, which makes us 
dear to God and man, and which will open heaven 
to us ; for it is written : " He that humbleth himself 
shall be exalted." 1 Amen. 

Thou, lovely Violet, teachest me 

A lesson of humility ; 
Oh ! may this virtue ever shine, 

In every word and act of mine. 

Our Saviour brought it first on earth, 
Proclaimed it by His lowly birth, 

And on the Cross, He ceased not then 
To preach it to the hearts of men. 

^uke, XIV, 11. 



THE SWEET FLAG. 



153 



His holy Mother, as we know, 

This virtue did practice here below. 

Therefore, the Queen of Heaven is she, 
For God exalts humility. 



Twenty-sixth Day. 

Gbe Sweet 3f lao. 

The Sweet Flag is a beautiful flower well fitted 
for decorating churches; it is also known as the 
Indian Water Rose, and sometimes it is called the 
Shepherd's Crook or Pastoral Staff. It consists of 
a long stalk with large leaves, graced at the top with 
a snow-white calix exhaling the most agreeable 
fragrance. The Sweet Flag is the emblem of Chris- 
tian education. Parents, you are the shepherds, and 
your children are the little flocks committed to your 
care. * You should strive to be good pastors after 
the example of Jesus Christ, who sought for the lost 
sheep over mountains and valleys, neither resting 
nor sleeping until he had found it. You should be 
good shepherds, because the Lord has purchased 
these lambs with His precious blood, and they are 
only lent to you as so many pledges of His love. O 
how much God loves children ! Open the Bible and 
read how He rescued little Moses from the waters, 
how He compassionated the languishing Ismael, for 



154 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



" God heard the voice of the boy ; " 1 and further, see 
how He protected little Jacob, the son of Rebecca, 
saying: " Jacob I have loved !" 2 and we also read 
of little Samuel that he was loved by the Lord his 
God. Our Saviour, Himself, said : " Suffer the little 
children to come unto me and forbid them not," 3 
and " Woe to him that scandalizes one of these little 
ones ; " again, " Unless you be converted and become 
as little children, you shall not enter into the king- 
dom of Heaven." 4 From all these passages we see 
clearly, the truth of these words of St. Paul : " If 
any man have not care of his own, and especially of 
those of his house, he hath denied the faith, and is 
worse than an infidel." 5 Yes, says St. Chrysostom, 
" the greater God's love for children, the more severe 
will be the account which parents will have to render 
on the day of Judgment." 

The Sweet Flag is white, and warns parents to 
keep a watchful eye upon their children, that they 
may preserve their innocence. The Divine Mother 
did not leave her child, but remained always by His 
side. And once, when He had remained in Jeru- 
salem, because it was His Father's will, how un- 
tiringly she sought Him for three days and three 
nights until she found Him again. Do those parents 
resemble this Divine Mother, who leave their chil- 
dren by themselves unguarded ? Who are not con- 



^en., XXI, 17. 

2 Rom., IX, 13. 

3 Math., XIX, 14. 



4 Math., XXIII, 3. 
5 1 Tim , V, 8. 



THE SWEET FLAG. 



155 



cerned about those with whom they have intercourse; 
what they speak about, or where they idle their time ? 
Who allow them to roam about in the streets after 
dark? Of what use, then, are the most salutary 
laws of spiritual and temporal superiors, if there are 
such careless parents ? But God, who has said that : 
" For every idle word that man shall speak, he shall 
render an account," 1 will, on that day when, at the 
sound of the trumpet, the dead will rise from their 
graves and assemble for judgment, in the valley of 
Josephat, demand His children from thee, O father, 
O mother ; then will those hiding places where your 
children were seduced through your carelessness * 
those streets and by-paths where the first germs of 
evil were implanted in their hearts, and those houses 
and places whither you permitted them to go and 
stay unguarded, until late in the night, rise and give 
testimony against you. Oh ! how quickly will then 
disappear, like rain drops in the ocean, those wicked 
words with which many parents try to excuse them- 
selves, saying: U I cannot be everywhere; I have 
seen nothing ; I cannot always keep them at home ; 
they are old enough and know what they ought to 
do." Philip, Crown-prince of France, once said to 
his father, St. Louis : " Thou art my good shepherd, 
watch over me that I may not be lost." Thus, each 
little child in its cradle speaks to its parents, as fold- 
ing its hands it looks up imploringly into the faces 



1 Math., XII, 36. 



156 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



of those who love it so dearly saying, as it were, 
" Parents, dear parents, be good shepherds to me." 
Then, woe to you if you despise this silent supplica- 
tion of your child, if through your fault the light of 
faith is extinguished, or its white garment of inno- 
cence soiled by sin. Preserve the innocence of your 
children even at the risk of your own lives. Be 
strict, watchful and conscientious in your duties to- 
wards them. Say, as Queen Blanch did to her son 
Louis : " My son, God knows how much I love you, 
but I would rather see you dead at my feet than 
guilty of one mortal sin." These words of his holy 
mother rang continually in the ears of the pious 
king as he himself confessed ; he seemed still to 
hear her sweet voice uttering them while in the tem- 
pest of the ocean before the island of Cypress, in 
his captivity among the Saracens, and in the last 
moments of his life at Tunis ; for in a loving heart 
a mother's counsel will never die. 

The Sweet Flag has an agreeable perfume, and 
symbolizes the sweet odor of good example. Chil- 
dren are not only educated by the teacher, the priest, 
or the books, but also by the good example of their 
parents. Great, indeed, was the power of faith in 
St. Gregory Thaumaturgus when he said to the 
mountain: "Move thyself away from here;" and, 
in obedience to his command, it was done. But 
greater yet is the power of good example. It, too, 
performs miracles, especially when given by parents. 
If the parents say their morning and evening prayers, 



THE SWEET FLAG. 



157 



go to church willingly, frequently receive the holy 
sacraments, and live together in harmony, the chil- 
dren will do the same. But if the father mocks at 
religion and refuses to pray, if the mother quarrels 
and disputes continually with him, if both scold 
and curse, how can the children do otherwise ? The 
children are the counterparts of their parents; as 
merchants put out signs to show what they have for 
sale, so the morals of the children generally indicate 
the virtues or vices of their parents. The Apostle 
of the Anglo-Saxons, St. Augustine, said once to the 
Britons : " Help me to convert the Saxons ; " they 
refused, after which the Saint said : " Because you 
will not assist me in showing the way of life to 
the Saxons, they will become unto you by the just 
judgment of God, the instruments of death." This 
is fulfilled in many parents who, instead of showing 
their children the way of life, by good example, be- 
come a scandal to them ; their own children will be 
to them instruments of death. Therefore, parents, 
do not blame any one else but yourselves for the 
sorrow you feel for a degenerated son or daughter. 
Ascribe it to nothing else, but to your own bad ex- 
ample. You aimed an arrow at your child by your 
abominable words and curses uttered in its presence, 
by your discord and dissension, by your nocturnal 
rioting and drunkenness, and by your tepidity in 
regard to religion ; and this arrow will return to 
pierce your own heart. O parents, be like the 
flower, Sweet Flag, a delicious odor of good ex- 



158 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



ample to your children, and as this flower is narrow 
below, and widens as it grows upward, so in like 
manner you should close their young hearts to the 
world, and open them for heaven ; train them to be 
pious and virtuous. Which do you prefer, that they 
should go to the graveyard and curse you in your 
graves, because, by your bad example, they became 
wicked themselves, because, through your weakness 
and indulgence they perished morally ; or, that they 
should kneel at your graves, praying and moistening 
them with tears of grateful love, because, by a strict 
Christian education, you have established the happi- 
ness of their lives ? Which do you prefer, parents, 
choose ! Pray, therefore, every day to the most 
holy Mother Mary, who has given us the most 
beautiful and sublime example of a good education, 
that she may obtain for you, from God, the grace to 
bring up your children, so that none of them will be 
lost through your fault ; and that all may be again 
united with you in Heaven. Amen. 

Parents, ne'er forget your duty, 
Lead your children virtue's way ; 

That their souls adorned with beauty, 
Heavenward tend from day to day. 

See their young hearts like a garden, 
Where the weeds will freely start ; 

You be watchful, ne'er permit them 
To take root within the heart. 



THE GERANIUM. 



159 



God above is ever watching, 
And your efforts will reward ; 

So take courage, do your duty 
Even though the task be hard. 



Twenty-seventh Day. 

Zhe (Seraniunu 

The Geranium is a plant which we see very fre- 
quently. We see it adorning the windows of almost 
every house ; it makes the room of the rich man and 
the little chamber of the poor man bright and 
cheerful. It is, therefore, the emblem of domestic 
happiness. In every Christian family there should 
ever exist that same good feeling and love for each 
other that shone forth so conspicuously in the most 
holy family on earth ; namely, Jesus, Mary, and 
Joseph. O happy Nazareth, thou hast seen the 
lowly hut in which dwelt the peace of God, the 
happy home in which three persons spent their time 
between work and prayer ! Here St. Joseph, the 
diligent artisan manufactured ploughs, yokes and 
wagons, as St. Justin says. Again we find him on 
Mount Carmel busily engaged in cutting down the 
high sycamore and terebinths growing there. Small 
was the income he received for his labor, but even 
this he shared with the poor. Mary was very dili- 



160 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



gent in performing her household duties, and without 
neglecting any of them she still found time to read 
the Holy Scriptures. Her whole conversation was 
in Heaven. To her can be applied the beautiful 
words of the Psalmist : " All the glory of the king's 
daughter is within." 1 She plaited the mats which 
covered the roof of their humble dwelling, from the 
leaves of the date-palm, or from the rushes that grew 
by the Jordan. Jesus Christ, the witness of His 
holy Mother's unwearied devotedness to her duties, 
has, at times, alluded to it in his parables. Mary's 
simple occupations are interlaced in the Gospel 
narratives like aquatic flowers in amber. There we 
find records of the diligent woman mixing the leaven 
in three measures of meal, and sweeping the house 
carefully to find the lost groat, and again she is 
busily engaged in patching an old and well-worn 
garment. When Jesus applied a parable to recom- 
mend purity of heart, He referred to the cleanliness 
of one who purifies the cup carefully inside and out. 
We can easily perceive that He thought of Mary, 
when He praised the widow who gave the mite, not 
out of her superfluity, but from her great poverty. 
Jesus, too, while yet a child, took the axe and followed 
His foster-father to assist him in his work. Jesus, 
Mary and Joseph labored hard; and these great 
souls who could have commanded legions of angels 
asked nothing else of God, but their daily bread. 



^s. XLIV, 14. 



THE GERANIUM. 



161 



The Geranium is found in almost every household, 
so too, should be found in every house the quiet of 
domestic happiness, a pious Christian life. For 
Mary this was undoubtedly the happiest time of her 
life. Although deprived of all comforts of the rich, 
it was granted to her to have her Son always before 
her eyes; with Him she could live, for Him she 
could work and reflect how to prepare joys. And 
in this, dear Christian, lies the secret of our own 
happiness ! To live for Jesus is the source of all 
contentment and of domestic peace. And as we see 
that the Geranium blooms in the most beautiful 
colors, white, rose-colored, violet and crimson, so, 
too, should you, O Christian soul, every hour of the 
day, and in all the different circumstances of your 
life, glow with love for Jesus, be united to Him 
most intimately by prayer, for it is the bond which 
unites heaven and earth. This holy bond should 
unite you and yours in family prayers night and 
morning, as well as before and after meals ; for has 
our Lord not said : (C When there are two or three 
assembled in my name, there am I in the midst of 
them." 1 You should also be united to Him as often 
as possible in that ruby-gemmed circlet, the holy 
sacrifice of Mass, the unbloody renewal of the sacri- 
fice of Calvary. Let no day pass without at least 
some one of your family assisting at this wonderful 
mystery. " Nothing wil] cause us greater regret 



1 Math., XVIII, 20. 
11 



162 



FLOWEKS OF MARY. 



when we come to die than the graces we lost through 
our own neglect and tepidity," says St. Ignatius. 
Work for God, and in His holy presence, for, 
" Wherever you are and whatever you do, God your 
Father seeth you." Make a good intention in 
the morning and often renew it during the day. 
" Whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, 
do it all for the greater honor and glory of God." 1 
Make use of some such aspirations as these : " O 
Jesus, for love of thee ! O Lord, give me patience ! 
Sweetest Jesus, stay with me ! for where Thou art, 
O Jesus," says the Imitation of Christ, " there is 
Heaven; but where Thou art not is hell." Jesus 
says, of those who love : u We will come to him, 
and will make our abode with him." 2 When Jesus 
comes, His peace and blessing come also. Why do 
you seek men so much, since everything depends on 
God ? " If you do not want to lose peace in your 
home," says blessed Egidius, " you must fasten two 
locks on the door ; one is named, ' Go seldom out/ 
the other, 6 Let little in/ " A great spiritual man 
has said : " As often as I go abroad, I return less a 
man." No place is better for you than your own 
home. Take a lesson from the bees. There was 
once a man who wished to observe these insects at 
their work, and caused a glass hive to be made for 
them ; the bees quickly covered it with wax on the 
inside so that he could not possibly see what they 



ilCor., X, 31. 



2 John, XIV, 23. 



THE GERANIUM. 



163 



did. In like manner you should draw , the veil of 
retirement, the veil of solitude, around your home, 
for the more retired you live, the happier and more 
peaceful you will be. Remain alone with your 
family, alone with Jesus, and you will experience 
the truth of that saying of St. Bernard : " I am 
never less alone, than when I am alone ! " Walk 
with Jesus, you and your family, then in your house- 
hold will ever bloom the hopeful green Geranium 
of a Christian family life, it will become a second 
house of Nazareth, where Jesus will hear the pray- 
ers, Mary will deal out holy joys, and St. Joseph 
will bless the work. It will, in truth, become a 
Jacob's ladder upon which the angels will descend 
and ascend to join your hearts and those of your 
family to the Divine heart. 

The Geranium does not lose its green color even 
in winter ; neither did the Holy Family lose their 
tranquillity and sweet happiness in poverty or mis- 
fortune. We no longer behold it in the house at 
Nazareth ; but find it in a strange country, at Heli- 
opolis, in Egypt. Here Mary had to descend into 
the furnace of poverty, and was encompassed by 
misery on all sides. The gold of the holy Three 
Kings was exhausted, and they were reduced to such 
extreme want that the son of David had to toil as a 
day-laborer, and the daughter of the kings of Juda 
to work entire nights to increase the pay of her 
spouse. Landolphus of Saxony says that, "the 



164 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



Child often with tears, asked the Mother for bread, 
and she had nothing to give, but tears ; still she was 
contented and happy for Jesus was with her." To 
suffer for Jesus is, indeed, great consolation, and to 
suffer with Him is joy. 

There are sometimes sufferings in families caused 
by crosses within, and afflictions from without. There 
is a remedy for both in these consoling words : " He 
who can kiss the hand of God with equanimity, as 
well in adversity as in prosperity, has reached a high 
degree of perfection." 

O let us beg of our blessed Lady, to obtain for us 
the grace to live and suffer for Jesus, so that domestic 
peace may abide in our family-circles. 

Geranium with thy green leaves bright, 
Welcome, welcome to my sight ! 

Thou art like the peaceful dove, 
Nestled down mid home and love. 

Thou dost speak of family bliss, 
What can be compared to this ? 

Thou, O Mary intercede, 

That our homes be blest, indeed ! 



THE IMMORTELLE. 



165 



Twenty-eighth Day. 

ftbe flmmortelle* 

The Everlasting or Straw-flower is white and 
yellow, and has the peculiar property of never fading. 
This never-fading flower is therefore, a fitting emblem 
of Heaven whose joys will endure forever. " The 
good," says Jesus Christ, " shall enter into eternal 
joys : " 1 and the apostle St. Paul says : " For we 
know that if our earthly house of this habitation be 
dissolved, that we have a building of God, a house 
not made with hands, eternal in heaven." 2 

The blessed Virgin is like this beautiful flower. 
Her works and her desires were everlasting, that is 
she worked for Heaven, she longed for Heaven, and 
therefore, her works are imperishable and the reward 
of her longing, eternal beatitude. O that I may 
succeed to-day by considering the flower, Everlasting, 
in writing with indelible characters what the great 
Archbishop of Cologne, Clement Augustus, once 
wrote in his friend's album : u By good works and 
aspirations you will become immortal here and 
hereafter." 

The seemless garment of Jesus, which was spun 
and woven by the Blessed Mother herself, has been 
wonderfully preserved even unto our own times. 
That coat for which the executioners cast lots at the 



'Math., XXV, 46. 



2 II Cor., V, 1. 



166 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



cruxifixion of Christ, is preserved at Treves to-day. 
Some years ago, when it was exposed for public 
veneration, more than four millions of pilgrims 
assembled there. This garment woven in one piece 
is, as the holy Fathers say, a symbol of the one, 
undivided, holy Church. But it is also a beautiful 
representation of the incorruptible and immortal 
works of Mary. She did not work and act for this 
world, but for Heaven. Therefore, wherever the 
name of Mary is announced, whether it be in the ice- 
fields of the North, or under the fervid sky of Brazil, 
on the shores of the Nile, or on the coast of the 
China Sea, everywhere the things which Mary did 
are made known. Her pious conduct in the temple, 
her retired life with St. Joseph, her motherly care 
of Jesus, her visit to St. Elizabeth, her active and 
laborious life at Nazareth and in Egypt, her love for 
her neighbor at the marriage-feast in Cana, her 
perfect resignation on Mount Calvary, her faithful 
friendship for St. John and St. Mary Magdalene, 
her support of the Infant Church by her wise coun- 
sels, and in fact all her good works will not pass 
away ; they will last forever and ever, they are so 
many immortelles which will never fade. 

Thus should we, following the example of Mary, 
work, not for this world, but for Heaven. The Lord 
admonishes us to do this in these words : " Lay up 
for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither the 
moth nor the rust will consume, and where thieves 



THE IMMORTELLE. 



167 



cannot steal." 1 But, alas ! we might shed tears of 
blood for the Christians of to-day, when we behold 
how solicitous they are for everything else, rather 
than for Heaven. How they exert themselves only 
for the body which will soon perish in the grave, 
while for their immortal souls they do absolutely 
nothing ; yet for their souls they must give a strict 
account on the day of Judgment. All their efforts, 
labors and actions tend only to obtain temporal goods 
and earthly advantages, which are nothing but 
bubbles that burst asunder by the air, or they fly 
like chaff before the wind, and again they may be 
compared to drops of water, which disappear in the 
ocean of eternity. You can take nothing with you 
to the tomb, but your good or bad works, and woe 
to you if your wicked deeds are more numerous than 
your good ones ! Therefore, dearly beloved, do you 
at least, act wisely, work for Heaven alone. Say 
with the great painter Correggio : " I paint not for 
time, but for eternity." There was once a funeral 
procession passing through the streets of Vienna, but 
what do I say, a funeral procession, there was not 
any ; for the dead man was poor and unknown, and 
all that were following him to his last resting-place, 
were the good priest and the pall-bearers. The 
Emperor, Francis I, happened to pass that way in 
his carriage, and seeing this poor obscure funeral, 
alighted and walked behind the coffin. Soon the cry 



iMath., VI, 20. 



168 



FLOWERS OP MARY. 



was heard throughout the city, that the Emperor was 
assisting at the funeral. Instantly many thousand 
people joined him in honoring the deceased, and by 
the time they reached the place of burial the crowd 
was immense and could not be numbered. Vienna 
had never before beheld such a large funeral pro- 
cession, and as long as the city stands it will be 
remembered and spoken of. " Blessed are the dead 
who die in the Lord, for their works follow them/' 
This will also be fulfilled in you, dear Christians, if 
you work for Heaven, for your good works will 
follow you like that multitude of people which 
followed the corpse of that poor man to the grave ; 
and they will erect to your memory a monument 
which time cannot destroy ; they will place upon 
your grave a wreath of immortelles, which will never 
fade. Yes, your pious prayers, your holy Com- 
munions, all will follow you ; the poor whom you 
fed and clothed, the sick whom you visited and 
comforted, the child whom you adopted, the sinner 
whom you converted from his evil ways, the tears of 
distress which you wiped away, the wounds which 
you healed, the alms you gave to the poor, the 
decoration of altars, the ornaments of the church 
which you procured, the Christian sodalities which 
you encouraged ; these will be the string of pearls 
and the chain of gold, which will unite time and 
eternity, and will secure for you, even here on earth, 
an imperishable remembrance. All else will be 
forgotten on earth and will not be rewarded in 



THE IMMORTELLE. 



169 



Heaven. Only good deeds are Immortelles in this 
life, for they die not ; they are Immortelles in heaven 
for their reward is eternal life. 

After the death of Christ, Mary went with St. 
John to Ephesus in Asia Minor; but before she 
died she wished to behold again her native land. 
St. John hastened to gratify her desire and took her 
to Jerusalem. We ; too, should long for our true 
fatherland, Heaven. With St. Paul, we should cry 
out : " Who will release me from the body of this 
death ! " 1 We should sigh with St. Augustine : " O 
country of rest, how do I long for thee ! O my 
heavenly home, from the shores of this life, I lift up 
my eyes full of desire after thee ! " St. Ambrose 
says : " The greatness of our reward and the cer- 
tainty of it will be proportioned to the intensity of 
our desire for it." When the holy hermit St. 
Arsenius, approached death, his brethren asked him 
to give them some salutary advice as a memorial 
and farewell. He said only these two words, " there, 
where," and departed. The brethren requested a 
venerable servant of God to explain the meaning of 
these two words. He replied : " They mean nothing 
else but, that our hearts should be already there where 
the purest joys are found, and are waiting for us." 

O Heavenly Immortelle, most blessed Virgin 
Mary, you who are now happy in Heaven, because 
while on earth you worked and acted only for 



^om., VII, 24. 



170 



FLOWEES OF MARY. 



Heaven ; obtain for us the grace that we, too, may 
secure our salvation, by good works and by our 
earnest longings for eternal life. Amen. 

What strengthens so the Christian heart? 

What makes his mind as firm as steel ? 
'Tis longing for that " Better part " 

Which each within himself doth feel. 
'Tis many good works nobly done, 

'Tis many a hard-fought battle won, 
'Tis ending well, what's well begun. 

'Tis ever striving for the right, 

'Tis walking spotless in God's sight, 

Aided by celestial light. 

This gives an ardent thirst to drink 

At the Eternal Fountain's brink, 
Where Living Waters ever well, 

Where blooms the Heavenly Immortelle. 



TWENTY-NINTH DAY. 

Gbe Wbite IRose. 

The White Rose is a Beautiful flower, and as it 
is extremely hardy, it can be cultivated without 
much trouble. It is an appropriate emblem of the 
joys of Mary, and as such we will consider it to-day. 



THE WHITE ROSE. 



171 



History relates of that noble Roman lady Lucretia, 
that when she was once asked to show her treasures 
and jewels, she brought in her children, saying : 
" These are my treasures." If we ask that best of 
mothers, the blessed Virgin Mary to tell us what 
her joys are, she will answer : " They are Jesus and 
you." Cast a glance at Mary in the stable at 
Bethlehem. See how she kneels before her new- 
born Babe, embraces and kisses it ; clasps it in her 
arms, fondles and caresses it ; how she bends over 
it most lovingly, whilst all the time her heart beats 
rapidly, her eyes sparkle and her cheeks glow. Who 
is that child? It is Jesus, her joy, her only joy. 

We read of St. Mary Magdalene when in the 
deepest sorrow and affliction on account of the death 
of Christ, she wandered about the garden in great 
perplexity, having no other expression for her grief 
than bitter tears and the words : " They have taken 
away my Lord, and I know not where they have 
laid Him." 1 On turning round she saw Jesus who 
said to her, " Mary ; " then she recognized Him, and 
untold joy filled her soul. Her sorrow was now 
passed, her grief assuaged, her trouble gone, her 
complaint hushed. Dear friends, comprehend now, 
if you can, the transports of joy experienced by the 
most holy heart of Mary, when the Babe in the 
manger, stretching its little hands longingly towards 
her, saluted her for the first time with the sweet 



Uohn, XX, 13. 



172 



FLOWEES OF MARY. 



name of mother. The angels counted the pulsations 
of her delighted heart, and the blessed spirits of 
Heaven gathered her tears of joy in that holy 
moment. 

Anna, the mother of the good Tobias, watched 
daily from the top of a hill for her son's return. At 
length she saw him afar off, and presently recognizing 
him, she probably returned home crying out : " It 
is he ; it is my child, my comfort, the light of my 
eyes, the staff of my old age ! " Dear Christians, 
this joy is merely a shadow in comparison with that 
felt by Mary, when after three days and nights, full 
of sorrow and anxiety, she found her beloved Child 
teaching in the temple. St. Bernard says : " Mary's 
joy surpasses all comprehension ; for it was a joy, 
which no human tongue can adequately express." 

Represent to yourselves, dear Christians, an earthly 
mother whose son is at length ordained priest, and 
about to offer to God, for the first time the holy 
sacrifice of the Mass. What passes in the heart of 
this mother, when she beholds him, robed in sacer- 
dotal vestments, blessing the kneeling multitude; 
when she sees him ascend the steps of the altar 
whereon he will offer the immaculate Victim. What 
are her feelings, when on this day of honor, she first 
receives his blessing, and during the holy sacrifice, 
holy Communion from his hand ; and lastly, what 
joy pervades her soul, as she hears him, for the first 
time announce the word of God. All who know 
her envy her the happiness of being the mother of 



THE WHITE ROSE. 



173 



a priest. Now, she even sheds tears of joy, and 
remembers no more the cares and sorrows of the 
past ; she now feels amply rewarded for all her care, 
trouble and anxiety undergone for him, and for all 
the expense incurred. 

Do you believe, dear Christians, that you can in 
the least comprehend the great joy of the blessed Vir- 
gin, when Jesus entered upon His office of teacher; 
and visited her at Nazareth, when she beheld Him 
sit upon the same mat that He did, when He was 
yet a child; when she saw Him eat; when she 
beheld Him approaching the bed of the sick whom 
He restored to health ; and again, imparting to 
thousands who flocked to hear Him, the words of 
eternal life ; wiping away their tears and healing 
their wounds. We may form a faint idea of her 
joy ; but we are utterly unable to understand, and 
fully comprehend it; for to do this it would be 
necessary to have the same holy maternal love, the 
same glowing filial love. 

If Ingeburgis, Queen of Castile, had to be forced 
from the grave of her son, lest she should die of 
grief, what must have been the sorrow that pierced 
the heart of Mary at the sepulchre of such a Son as 
Jesus. Let us imagine the joy on meeting Him 
again after His resurrection. Whilst the other holy 
women gathered about the empty sepulchre, she 
stood immovable with joy under an olive tree at 
some distance from them. There was a young man 
speaking to her in a subdued voice. Who was He 



174 



FLOWEKS OF MARY. 



then that thus gave her such great delight ? He was, 
indeed, her beloved Son, the glorious conqueror of 
hell ; He had come to console and comfort His much 
afflicted Mother. What passed at this holy meeting, 
was never made known, but this is certain that Mary, 
whose soul withstood a supernatural sorrow, felt also 
a joy we could not experience and live. After this 
Mary, like a weary reaper, who searches for rest and 
shade from the mid-day heat, began to sigh for the 
cool shade of the Tree of Life, which grows on the 
throne of God, and to thirst for the fountains of 
living water. After years of long desire, her request 
was granted. At her death she saw the heavens open 
and the Son of Man coming upon a cloud of light. 
What a joy ! At this sight her countenance became 
ruddy, and her eyes sparkled with the lustre of a 
mother's love, and a mother's joy ; and adoring, she 
went over into eternity, to her Son, chanting her 
song of joy : " My soul doth magnify the Lord ; and 
my spirit hath rejoiced in God, my Saviour." 1 

Dear Christians, these are some of the great joys 
Mary had with Jesus, but forget not that we are also 
a joy to her. 

You all know that we are children of Mary, 
because she was destined to be the Mother of the 
whole human race ; and you know it also, by the 
words of Jesus on the Cross : 66 Behold thy Mother ! " 2 
That we, as her children, are a joy to her I will 



1 Luke, I, 46, 47. 



2 John, XIX, 27. 



THE WHITE ROSE. 



175 



endeavor to prove to you. We resemble her Jesus 
because we are created according to His image ; we 
have the same garb as Jesus ; because He has taken 
upon himself our human nature. The blood of her 
beloved Child has cleansed our souls ; and our home 
is the same as that of her Son Jesus, Heaven. This 
resemblance in form, occupation and destination 
creates even on earth a joyful feeling. Mary once 
said to St. Bridget : " Know my daughter, that the 
children of men are my greatest joy." Yet, dear 
Christians, how is this joy infinitely increased in the 
motherly heart of Mary, if to this more external 
resemblance is joined the interior of a pious and 
virtuous life ; if our hearts are White Roses, white 
in purity of purpose, and green in unshaken confi- 
dence in the love of Mary. Then, dear Christians, 
will her heart exult in joy and, as St. Paul wrote to 
the Thessalonians : " You are our glory and our 
joy." 1 So will Mary say to you : " You are my 
joy; my greatest joy." 

During the thirty years that St. Augustine lived 
a life of sin, he cost his mother the bitterest tears, 
the most heartfelt grief ; but, when he was converted, 
he cast himself down before her, and implored her 
forgiveness. He cried out : " Thou hast borne me 
in sorrow, but I did not thank thee, thou hast 
brought me forth again by thy tears and prayers, 
now I will be thy joy, and forever remain thy con- 



1 1 Thess., II, 20. 



176 



FLOWERS OF MAEY. 



solation." My dear friends, recognize yourselves in 
Augustine, for has not Mary's tears and prayers 
regenerated you all to a better life? Raised you 
from vice and the misery of sin ? Now, then with 
Augustine cry out : " Henceforth I will be thy 
joy in gratitude for thy great love. I will pray 
diligently and often receive the holy Sacraments : I 
will avoid occasions of sin and especially flee from 
all impurity. In all my needs I will confidently 
call upon thee to assist me, I will give alms for the 
love of thee. I will visit the sick and practice works 
of mercy • I will make it my constant study to give 
thee joy, O sweetest Mother! Then will the White 
Rose, emblem of thy joy, bloom in my heart ; and 
as the Eternal Father called down from Heaven, at 
the baptism of Jesus: 'This is my beloved Son, in 
whom I am well pleased/ 1 so wilt thou say of me : 
' This is my beloved child in whom I find my joy / " 
Amen. 

Behold the White and spotless Rose, 

Fair emblem of that peerless one ; 
Whom God the Eternal Father chose, 

To be the Mother of His Son. 

O Virgin Mother, highly blest ! 

No human tongue can tell thy joy, 
When folded to thy holy breast 

Thou held'st thy beauteous, heavenly Boy. 



^ath., XVII, 5. 



THE HONEYSUCKLE. 



177 



Strange privilege, fair Maid, was thine, 
O who can know thy untold bliss, 

When those sweet lips and brow Divine, 
Were thine to gaze on, thine to kiss ! 

This blessed Babe was all thine own, 
And well might angels envy thee, 

When of thy arms He formed a throne 
And sweet caresses gave to thee. 



Thirtieth Day. 

£be Ibone^sucftle* 

Already the month of May draws to a close, and 
with it the beautiful days which we sanctified by 
offering flowers to the Sacred Heart of Mary. 
Therefore, I cannot let this Devotion close without 
earnestly recommending to you the practice of that 
virtue, without which all others are nothing. This 
virtue is perseverance in the love of Mary. As its 
symbol, we will take the Honeysuckle. It is a well- 
known climbing-plant, generally found covering 
arbors and summer-houses. Its blossoms are very 
fragrant and mostly of a white, yellow or red color. 
This flower is also called the Rose of Jericho, and 
may, therefore, be a fitting emblem of the blessed 
12 



178 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



Mother of God, whom, as you all know, the holy 
Fathers call by this title. 

The Honeysuckle is the emblem of Perseverance. 
The longer we contemplate this flower, the better we 
like it, on account of its sweet and delightful odor 
which it diffuses at all times, but especially in the 
evening. The blessed Virgin, as it were, cries out 
to us through this plant : " The longer you love me, 
the dearer you are to me ! The longer you venerate 
me, the more pleasing you are to me ! The longer 
you are my child, the more willingly will I be your 
Mother, both here and in eternity ! " 

O dear Christians, let not this voice call to us in 
vain ; for it is the voice of that Mother who says : 
" Come, my child, accept my counsel, and save your 
soul, by faithfully persevering in my love till death," 
as she once said to St. Joseph of Cupertino. 

Do you not all wish to save your immortal souls, 
to go to Heaven ? Most certainly, every one of you 
will answer me in the affirmative* Well, then, mark 
down deeply within your heart, the following words 
of St. Augustine : "If one has a great love and 
devotion for the blessed Virgin Mary, it is a sure 
sign of predestination for Heaven." Another Saint 
has said : " That to practice some devotion in honor 
of Mary, be it ever so little, if persevered in will be 
enough to save you." 

It once happened * that a young man who was 
leading a frivolous life, was about leaving his native 
city, when he heard that missionaries had arrived 



THE HONEYSUCKLE. 



179 



there to give a mission. He was about to procure 
a seat in the stage-coach when he found himself 
detained by something he could not explain. An 
interior voice and an irresistible influence forced 
him to stay and hear a sermon. He did so, and 
was so touched by the words of the good missionary, 
that he remained to hear all the rest. He made a 
general confession of his whole life, with unmis- 
takable signs of a most sincere contrition. His con- 
fessor asked him whether he loved and practiced 
devotion to Mary, the Mother of God. He replied : 
" I have forgotten all prayers, I cannot even recite 
the Our Father any more ; only the Hail Mary, I 
recited daily, because my dying mother had told me 
to do so." 

Dearly beloved, do you not think it was the daily 
reciting of the Hail Mary that was the means of 
this young man's conversion ? Yes, it certainly was 
the anchor which saved his soul from shipwreck in 
the storms of this life. The Hail Mary was the 
star which guided him to a better life ; it was the 
chain by which Mary drew him from the brink of 
the abyss to her maternal heart and to the bosom of 
his Heavenly Father. 

Make, then, the firm resolution to practice faith- 
fully your devotions in honor of Mary, however 
insignificant they may seem to be. Perseverance 
will give a value to them, and perhaps God has or- 
dained that by this devotion you will be eternally 
saved. 



180 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



Does Mary only deserve to be loved by us during 
the short period of a month ? Does she not rather 
deserve a love sincere and faithful unto death ? Did 
she not love us when she was yet a child ! when 
for our sakes she dedicated herself to God in the 
temple ? Did she not love us in her girlhood, when 
for our salvation she bore the Son of God? Did 
she not love us in her maturer years, when she will- 
ingly permitted her Divine Son to be immolated on 
the Cross for us? Did she not love us in her old 
age, living even till sixty-seven years on earth for 
the good of our souls? Does she not love us now 
from her heavenly throne with a love extending from 
the cradle to the grave ? 

Have you ever seen those silvery threads in 
autumn which fly about in the air and adhere to the 
clothes? Naturalists have not succeeded yet in 
fully explaining the cause of them. A pious legend 
calls them " Threads which the Mother of God has 
spun." They are a beautiful representation of the 
benefits and favors with which she overwhelms man 
even when he is undeserving of them. She obtains 
many graces for him, although he wishes them not, 
and never thanks her for them. Go out to the 
meadows in spring and summer and count the leaves 
and blossoms. You will answer, that it is impossi- 
ble, for they are far too numerous ; well, this is true, 
and I admit it, but even so countless and beyond 
measure are the benefits and tokens of Mary's love 
to us. 



THE HONEYSUCKLE. 



181 



Therefore, love Mary with a faithful, persevering 
eternal love. When the famine had passed from the 
land of Juda, Noemi wished to return to her native 
country. Her two daughters-in-law, Orpha and 
Ruth, accompanied her. When they had traveled 
about half the distance, Noemi said : " Now return 
home, I will find the way alone. I thank you for 
the love you have shown me." Orpha let herself 
be persuaded, but Ruth would not. She answered : 
" No, whithersoever thou goest, I will go ; where 
thou dwellest I will also dwell. Thy people shall 
be my people ; and thy God my God ; the land that 
shall receive thee dying, in the same will I die, and 
there will I be buried." 1 

Behold, dear Christians, in this beautiful picture 
a representation of what our love towards Mary 
should be. Let us also say to the blessed Virgin : 
" No, Mother, nothing shall ever separate us from 
thee. We will love and serve thee all the days of 
our lives. There, where thou dwellest, is our most 
beloved and happy abode. Those who love thee, 
shall be our friends likewise. We will be thine 
living and dying, in time and eternity." 

You know, dear friends, from Holy Scripture 
how Josue said : " Move not, O sun, towards Gabaon, 
nor thou, O moon, towards the valley of Ajalon ! 99 2 
and that the sun and moon stood still for the space 
of one day. Had I such strong faith as Josue, I 

1 Kuth, 1, 16, 17. 2 Josue, X, 12. 



182 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



would cry out : " O month of May, move not, de- 
part not ; O month, in which your love and devotion 
to Mary has shown itself so beautiful and so touch- 
ing, remain forever." Dear Christians, never allow 
this love for Mary to grow cold, never be unfaithful 
in your devotions to her, and you will be abundantly 
rewarded, when through love of her, you shall enter 
the gates of the heavenly Paradise, there to remain 
in unchangeable bliss forevermore. Amen. 

Lord, before thy throne we kneel, 
To thy power we appeal, 
Make our hearts as firm as steel 

To do battle for the right. 
Suffer not our souls to quail, 
Never let our courage fail, 

Uphold us in Thy might ! 

Mary, lovely flower fair, 
Ever for us have a care, 
Till to Heaven our souls you bear, 

Safe to thy dear Son. 
Help us ever during life, 
'Filled with anxious care and strife, 

Till our victory's won. 



THE FORGET-ME-NOT. 



183 



Thirty-first Day. 

£be jforget>me*not* 

The wreath which we have been twining during 
this sweet month of Mary is almost finished. Only 
one flower is wanting to complete it. This last one, 
we will cull from the banks of our rivers and 
streamlets where it grows very abundantly. It is 
the pretty blue-eyed Forget-me-not, which seems to 
greet us so kindly with its sweet smile of gladness. 
There is a pious legend which relates that the Lord 
created it last of all the flowers, and gave to it its 
name, which should ever remind us that amid earth's 
beauties we should not forget the Creator. 

The Forget-me-not is a lovely flowret, and speaks 
to us of the heavenly Forget-me-not, Mary, whom 
the Church salutes with the title, " Virgo Amabilis/' 
u Virgin most Amiable." Mary is lovely and she 
loves us. By the word lovely is signified the union 
of the beauty of the body with that of the soul ; the 
blending of the exterior beauty with that of the 
interior; and this we find perfect in Mary. She 
was so beautiful in person, said St. Dionysius, who 
was contemporary with her, that u I would have 
adored her as a deity, had I know n that she was the 
Mother of Jesus. We are told that in her advanced 
age, even on her death-bed, she was still admirably 
beautiful ; *for, neither time nor death ventured to 
change this elect vessel of grace. Her soul was so 



184 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



beautiful, that these words of Holy Scripture refer 
to her : " All the glory of the king's daughter is 
within." 1 Her heart was the throne of all virtues. 
Do you desire humility ? Meditate on the demeanor 
of Mary when with bowed head she said to the 
Angel: " Behold the handmaid of the Lord." 2 Do 
you wish for holy charity ? Think of her journey 
to Elizabeth, and her request at the marriage-feast 
at Cana. Would you like to possess the virtue of 
gratitude ? Mark the rejoicing of her grateful soul in 
the Canticle : " My soul doth magnify the Lord." 3 
Do you desire resignation ? Behold how she stands 
beneath the Cross of her Divine Son, broken-hearted, 
yet resigned to God's most holy Will. Therefore, 
St. Ansel m is right in saying : " Mary was the most 
beautiful creature that ever proceeded from the 
creating hand of God, because in her were united in 
inexpressible harmony such beauty of soul and 
body, that she never had an equal. Mary loves us, 
will she not accomplish the words of her Divine 
Son : " By this shall all men know that you are my 
disciples if you have love one for another," 4 will 
not she who once said : u Whatsoever He shall say 
to you, do ye." 5 Will she not fulfil that last wish 
of her dying Son : " Woman behold thy Soli ! " 6 
Yes, Mary loves us, and we find in Holy Scripture 
the gradual progress of her maternal love for us in 



iPs. XLIV, 14. 

2 Luke, I, 38. 

3 Luke, I, 46. 



4 John, XIII, 35, 

5 John, XII, 5. 

6 John, XIX, 26. 



THE FORGET-ME-NOT. 



185 



these words which holy Church applies to Mary : 
"I love those that love me;" 1 again, "I am found 
without trouble by those who love me/' further, 
" I come to meet those who call upon me/' and, 
" I anticipate those who desire me, and show myself 
to them first." Dear Christians, on hearing this, are 
your hearts not touched, nay, even carried away by 
the great love of Mary towards you ? Must you not 
cry out with St. Thomas of Villanova : " O Mary, 
when I consider thy immeasurable love towards me, 
I become dazzled as though I had gazed on the 
splendor of the mid-day sun; and quite overcome 
I cast my weeping eyes upon the earth ! " 

The Forget-me-not grows very abundantly, and 
reminds us of the many graces which we receive 
through Mary. She, herself, is full of grace as the 
Angel declared when he saluted her : " Hail, full of 
grace ! " Yes, she is a marvel of grace. For love 
of her, God abrogated the most universal, the most 
absolute laws of nature. Mary remained a virgin 
before, in, and after the birth of her Divine Son, a 
privilege granted to none other. Mary brought 
forth her Son without pain, weakness, or affliction, 
although Holy Scripture says : " In sorrow shalt 
thou bring forth children." 2 Mary lived without 
any sin, even without any wilful imperfection, 
although it is written : " Every man is a sinner." 
Mary died without sadness, fear, anxiety or struggle, 



^rov., VIII, 17. 



2 Gen., Ill, 16. 



186 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



although nature is terrified at the approach of death. 
The body of Mary escaped the corruption of the 
tomb, although God Himself had said : " Dust thou 
art, and unto dust thou shalt return." 1 Mary became 
the Mother of her Creator, and He obeyed her, His 
own creature. Mary was conceived without sin, 
although we must all say : " We are conceived in 
sin." 2 This sublime and exceptional grace, God 
never gave to any other human being, nor will He 
ever grant it to another. God, also, bestowed this 
grace upon Mary at a time when she could neither 
ask for, nor acquire it. Dear Christians, do you 
think that God would now refuse her a grace ? O, 
certainly, He would not. If Mary petitions for 
anything she will obtain it. Therefore, it is true 
that Mary is all-powerful through the power of her 
intercession, as God is all-powerful through the 
power of His essence. Hence, St. Anselm calls her 
" the supplicatory omnipotence." She is the Mother 
of grace for us. Holy Scripture says : " In me is 
all grace of the way." 3 The holy Fathers salute 
her as the Mother of grace, the treasurer and dis- 
penser of heavenly gifts. St. Bernard says : " That 
all graces received from God, are imparted to us 
through Mary." 

The Forget-me-not is blue, and this blue color 
reminds us of the heavens of which it is said : 



^en., Ill, 19. 
2 Ps. L, 7. 



3 EccL, XXIV, 25. 



THE FORGET-ME-NOT. 



187 



u The good will enter into eternal joys." Dear 
Christians, have a longing for Heaven, for " the 
greater your desire for it," says St. Teresa, " the 
more certainty there is of your one day entering it." 
Blessed are they who ardently desire Heaven, for 
they shall one day possess it ! And, why, dearly 
beloved, should you not long for Heaven and eter- 
nal, imperishable joys ; now, at this moment, which 
calls unto you, louder and stronger than ever 
before ; that on earth all passes away quickly. 

Now, this beautiful time of grace is past, this 
glorious month during which you so often visited 
this church, knelt before this altar, and prayed be- 
fore the Madonna. Yes, the month is past, but 
during it a new spring of love and devotion for Mary 
was awakened in your hearts. The time is past 
which united so many thousand souls in one purpose, 
to venerate Mary, and imitate her glorious virtues ! 
Thus all passes away. Therefore, while we say 
farewell to this lovely month and sacred shrine, let 
us lift up our hearts to Heaven, where joys will last 
forever, and love is imperishable. If you really 
wish to go to Heaven, love and venerate the Blessed 
Virgin every day of your life ; for St. Alphonsus 
says : u A true servant of Mary can not perish." 

O thou heavenly Forget-me-not, most blessed 
Virgin Mary, do not forget us who have woven 
this wreath of flowers in thy honor, which we place 
here on thy altar. Obtain for us by thy powerful 
intercession, that they may never fade, and that the 



188 



FLOWERS OF MARY. 



virtues which they represent may shine forth in our 
lives, and that through thee we may come to Jesus, 
to whom be praise and glory forever ! Amen. 

Our wreath is finished, O Mother dear ! 

Upon thy altar we place it here, 
Its flowers we've culled with zealous care, 

It tells of the love for thee we bear. 

Accept the wreath your children wove, 
'Twas made with grateful, trusting love; 

And while we lay it at your feet, 
" Forget-me-not " the flowers repeat. 



